Benedict de Spinoza

(1632 - 1677)

When their father died in 1654, moral philosopher Benedict de Spinoza and his younger brother, Gabriel, established a business in Amsterdam known as Bento y Gabriel d’Espinosa, which imported and exported dried fruit. It was not a prosperous enterprise, and their merchandise sank at least once in mid-ocean. An influential figure of the Enlightenment, Spinoza died near the Hague in 1677.