Expertlatin
- How does Spinoza's view of God differ from more traditional theological perspectives?
- What was Spinoza's Ethics about?
- Why did Spinoza not believe in free will?
- Why does Spinoza think there Cannot be more than one substance with the same nature?
How does Spinoza's view of God differ from more traditional theological perspectives?
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.
What was Spinoza's Ethics about?
Spinoza is a psychological and ethical egoist. All beings naturally seek their own advantage—to preserve their own being and increase their power—and it is right for them do so. This is what virtue consists in.
Why did Spinoza not believe in free will?
“Spinoza denied free-will, because it was inconsistent with the nature of God, and with the laws to which human actions are subject. … There is nothing really contingent. Contingency, free determination, disorder, chance, lie only in our ignorance.
Why does Spinoza think there Cannot be more than one substance with the same nature?
Spinoza continues to enunciate that God's modes are particular finite and determinate expressions of his/her nature. One reason why Spinoza believes that modes are finite is that there can only be one infinite substance in nature since a plurality of substances cannot exist.
