Illus: 2 b/w illus. Spinoza is widely regarded as either a God-forsaking atheist or a God-intoxicated pantheist, but Clare Carlisle says that he was neither. ... Seen through Carlisle’s eyes, the Ethics prompts us to rethink not only Spinoza but also religion itself .
What is the belief of Spinoza?
Spinoza’s most famous and provocative idea is that God is not the creator of the world, but that the world is part of God . This is often identified as pantheism, the doctrine that God and the world are the same thing – which conflicts with both Jewish and Christian teachings.
Does Einstein Believe in God?
Albert Einstein’s religious views have been widely studied and often misunderstood. Albert Einstein stated that he believed in the pantheistic God of Baruch Spinoza . He did not believe in a personal God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings, a view which he described as naïve.
Is Spinoza religious?
Spinoza is certainly a pantheist . He’s usually called an atheist, and it’s also true to say that he’s an atheist in the sense that he denies the God of theism. ... So the term Pantheist is often used to describe Spinoza, and a Pantheist is really someone who believes that God is everywhere, God is in everything.
Did Spinoza believe in the Bible?
Later in the Treatise Spinoza stated: “I insist that [the Bible] expressly affirms and teaches that God is jealous ...and I assert that such a doctrine is repugnant to reason.” After mentioning additional irrational teachings, Spinoza pushed his case even further.
What religion is Zuckerberg?
Zuckerberg was raised in a Reform Jewish household, and his ancestors hailed from Germany, Austria and Poland. He had a Star Wars-themed bar mitzvah when he turned 13.
Did Einstein believe in black holes?
Over a century ago, Albert Einstein predicted that the gravitational pull of black holes were so strong that they should bend light right around them . Black holes don’t emit light, they trap it; and ordinarily, you can’t see anything behind a black hole.
What Spinoza said about God?
Spinoza believed that God is “ the sum of the natural and physical laws of the universe and certainly not an individual entity or creator ”. ... God is the only substance in the universe, and everything is a part of God. “Whatever is, is in God, and nothing can be or be conceived without God”.
Did Spinoza argue for the existence of a transcendent God?
In those works, Spinoza denies the immortality of the soul; strongly rejects the notion of a transcendent , providential God—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and claims that the Law (i.e., the commandments of the Torah and rabbinic legal principles) was neither literally given by God nor any longer binding on Jews.
How does Spinoza define God?
Spinozism (also spelled Spinozaism) is the monist philosophical system of Baruch Spinoza that defines “ God” as a singular self-subsistent substance, with both matter and thought being attributes of such . ... God has infinitely many other attributes which are not present in our world.
What is Spinoza known for?
Among philosophers, Spinoza is best known for his Ethics , a monumental work that presents an ethical vision unfolding out of a monistic metaphysics in which God and Nature are identified. ... On account of this and the many other provocative positions he advocates, Spinoza has remained an enormously controversial figure.
What is meant by epistemology?
Epistemology, the philosophical study of the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge . The term is derived from the Greek epistēmē (“knowledge”) and logos (“reason”), and accordingly the field is sometimes referred to as the theory of knowledge.
What is Spinoza’s attitude to death?
When a person dies, there is, for that person, nothing . In this respect, Spinoza’s view is closer to that of Epicurus. For Spinoza, there is no immortal soul or self that persists beyond this life. When you are dead, you are dead.
What is nothingness philosophy?
“Nothingness” is a philosophical term for the general state of nonexistence , sometimes reified as a domain or dimension into which things pass when they cease to exist or out of which they may come to exist, e.g., in some cultures God is understood to have created the universe ex nihilo, “out of nothing”.
What important distinction did Kant make?
He is the most important proponent in philosophical history of deontological, or duty based, ethics. ... The categorical imperative is Kant’s famous statement of this duty: “Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.”
What is the richest religion?
According to a study from 2015, Christians hold the largest amount of wealth (55% of the total world wealth), followed by Muslims (5.8%), Hindus (3.3%), and Jews (1.1%).
