Instruments and the Making of a Philosopher. Spinoza's Career in Optics.

The article discusses Dutch Jewish philosopher Benedictus de Spinoza, focusing particularly on his interest and career in optics making instruments such as telescopes, microscopes, and magnifying glasses. An overview of optical theory and the importance of improvements in optical technologies to seventeenth-century science is presented. Efforts by Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens to create his own lenses are considered. Spinoza's interest in optics is compared to that of Italian astronomer and mathematician Galileo Galilei.