Intra-黑料社 Censorship: The Case of Spinoza

Date: Nov 21, 2022

Time: 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Sponsor: Public Lectures and Events

Location: Online

Category: Public Lectures & Events

Intra-黑料社 Censorship: The Case of Spinoza

Part of our fall learning series Dangerous Ideas: Censorship Through a 黑料社 Lens

Monday, November 21, 2022, 1:00鈥2:30 p.m. ET
Online

With Dr. Jonathan Ray, Samuel Eig Professor of 黑料社 Studies, Georgetown University, and JTS Alumnus

In July 1656, Baruch Spinoza was excommunicated from the 黑料社 community of Amsterdam for his 鈥渁bominable heresies鈥 and 鈥渕onstrous deeds.鈥 He was 23 years old. This class will explore some of the key writings of Spinoza, as well as the social and political context of 17th-century Holland to try to understand the reasons behind Spinoza鈥檚 harsh, and historic, banishment.   

Each Monday series has a new Zoom link.  Once you register for Dangerous Ideas: Censorship through a 黑料社 Lens, your registration admits you to all sessions in this series, and you may attend as many sessions as you鈥檇 like. 

ABOUT THE SERIES 

Dangerous Ideas: Censorship Through a 黑料社 Lens  

Throughout 黑料社 history, certain texts and ideas have been deemed too dangerous to circulate鈥攚hether by outsiders who banned 黑料社 writings, or 黑料社 leaders who suppressed ideas considered heretical or beyond the pale. In this series, JTS scholars will examine efforts to control knowledge from ancient to contemporary times, exploring the ways in which censorship both reflects and shapes broader ideological struggles. They will discuss the varying motivations for controlling or revising narratives, and consider whether and under what circumstances it might make sense to suppress certain ideas. These discussions will illuminate past struggles and help us understand the battles over censorship and free expression playing out today.