约翰和肯开始辩论斯宾诺莎是否是个无神论者。称他为泛神论者会不会更准确些?不管用什么标签，斯宾诺莎对超然的上帝的缺乏信仰，使他在他的时代中极为独特，正因为如此，他经常被称为“现代性的发明者”。他还相信，我们都是整个宇宙的一小部分，这在他的时代是革命性的，也为他赢得了一些不必要的关注。约翰和肯注意到，我们欠斯宾诺莎一个很大的感激之情——事实上，感激之情来自爱因斯坦和博尔赫斯为他写的情诗。

John and Ken invite National Humanities Award winner Rebecca Newberger Goldstein and author ofBetraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity. Rebecca discusses Spinoza’s absolute lack of belief in God, but what made him especially dangerous was that he appropriated the task religion originally had and cut the Judeo-Christian God out of the picture.

Ken asks how Spinoza could have really given us modernity. Rebecca responds that he did have helpers, but he really preceded the Enlightenment by about one hundred years. Rebecca also discusses how strongly Spinoza appreciated the importance of free inquiry during a time when it was not at all seen as important. Furthermore he was one of the few thinkers insistent on not identifying with any religion. John brings up a question from a listener, asking what Spinoza thought of the Torah. Rebecca explains that Spinoza was actually the first to offer a rigorous biblical criticism.

They then discuss Spinoza’s naturalist ethics, and how strongly it contrasted with the “pre-modern” ethics of his time. Ken then asks if Spinoza had an answer as to how we should live. Rebecca responds that the fundamental notion in his psychology and ethics is the notion of striving, persistence in our own survival and flourishing. To Spinoza, this was the essence of any thing.

Discussing Spinoza’s metaphysics, Rebecca comments that everything must be explicable to reason. John then shifts the conversation to the influence Spinoza has had on modern scientists, including Einstein.

• Roving Philosophical Reporter(Seek to 6:40): Shuka Kalantari discusses Spinoza’s harsh excommunication from the Jewish community with Spinoza expert Steven Nadler. To this day, he still remains excommunicated, in spite of efforts by some to have it lifted. Nadler surmises that Spinoza could not have cared less; it would have been meaningless to him.
• Sixty Second Philosopher(寻求到45:50):伊恩·肖尔斯讨论了斯宾诺莎被逐出教会，他拒绝基督教，他的日常工作是磨镜片，以及他最终的死亡。