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Questions tagged [spinoza]

Baruch Spinoza or Benedict de Spinoza (1632 – 1677) was a Jewish-Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Sephardi origin.

The following are some sources of information on Spinoza.

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What reasons could there be not to teach Spinoza in secondary school?

In The Netherlands, it's on some schools possible to get philosophy taught from the fourth to the sixth grade of high school (that's the age group 15-18). I've done this. I discovered that Spinoza's doctrine is scarcely taught in our country on…
user2953
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What counters are there to Spinoza's argument that acts of free will create infinite regress?

My 16-to-21-year-old self was very preoccupied with free will. When I was 21 years old I rejected the notion as ill-defined as both my reason and my inner experience told me that my will was caused and had to be caused. I thought that people who…
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What is an attribute, as used in Spinoza's Ethics?

In Spinoza's Ethics, the definitions of Part 1. include a supposedly all important term: Attribute, defined by Spinoza in the following: "IV. By attribute, I mean that which the intellect perceives as constituting the essence of…
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What is the meaning of Spinoza's first three definitions?

I've just started reading Spinoza's Ethics and I'd like to have delucidations about his first three definitions. Definition one: By that which is self-caused, I mean that of which the essence involves existence, or that of which the nature is…
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Is Stephen Hawking's denial that gods exists founded on a misunderstanding?

In this days I'm following an interesting scientific TV program and yesterday I watched an interview of Stephen Hawking. He was arguing about the existence of God saying that God does not exist since the universe had an origin, and before it time…
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Why does Spinoza structure the ethics similarily to Euclid's geometry?

I am planning to read Spinoza's Ethics, Geometrically Demonstrated, and before I read a work I peruse throughout the work, keeping note of headings, as well as read the table of contents, to get a general idea of the structure of the work. The…
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What's the meaning of this aphorism by Goethe?

What's the meaning of this aphorism by Goethe? "A Spinoza in poetry becomes Machiavelli in philosophy"
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Spinoza à la Mode : Is Spinoza a Pantheist?

I define "Pantheism" as the position that affirms the equality between God and the whole reality (not of course equal to every single existing thing, but equal to ALL reality, the reality as a totality). Often Spinoza is called "pantheist", but in…
NaturaDubitans
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Is Spinoza really a determinist?

According to Spinoza humans do not have free will. It is merely an illusion. But in his political tractatus he also wrote that men should have the freedom to choose a religion. But if one has the freedom to choose a religion doesn't this imply free…
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What should I read to learn about Spinoza's philososphy?

I don't have much philosophical background aside from a couple college classes and stuff I've picked up from general interest. I'd like to learn Spinoza's philosophy. What is a good starting place? I'm interested in either reading Spinoza's books…
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Deleuzian finitism and Spinozian infinitism

In the IEP entry on Deluze, there is the following: Commenting on Lucretius, Deleuze makes the following, extremely similar, remark: "The speculative object and the practical object of philosophy as Naturalism, science and pleasure, coincide on…
Mozibur Ullah
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Spinoza’s argument for substance monism

Substance monism is a very significant part of Spinoza’s philosophy. But after reading the first part of his Ethics, an understanding of his arguments for it eludes me. Specifically, I have trouble wrapping my head around how Spinoza can eliminate…
Joa
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Why did Nietzsche call Spinoza his 'precursor'?

In a letter Nietzsche made the following comment about Spinoza; "I am utterly amazed, utterly enchanted! I have a precursor, and what a precursor! I hardly knew Spinoza: that I should have turned to him just now, was inspired by “instinct.” Not only…
user37981
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What are some critiques of Spinoza that are generally regarded as holding weight?

I'm nearing the end of my reading Spinoza's ethics, and the philosophy that he lays out seems perfectly consistent and logical. What are some critiques of Spinoza that are regarded as potentially showcasing a problem in his system? A supplementary…
Animore
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In what ways was Maimonides an influence on Spinoza?

As someone with an intense interest in Arabic Neoplatonism (in particular Ibn Sina), I have a passing familiarity with Maimonides. (I am considering reading The Guide for the Perplexed after I finish the largest of my current readings (Critique of…
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