Spinozism

[Shadowraix]

I was having a discussion and someone pointed me towards this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinozism

Seemed interesting because at a glance this branch seems to be about a lot of what is talked about here.

Anyone here versed in this philosophical system?

Would love to hear some thoughts and maybe problems with it.

[Equanimitize]

Never heard of it but this is an interesting sentence:

In Spinozism, the concept of a personal relationship with God comes from the position that one is a part of an infinite interdependent "organism." 

Thanks for the knowledge.

 

[Bobby]

a slightly different metaphysics than idealism, Spinoza proposed that there was a singular substance which exhibited both the qualities of consciousness and the qualities of matter. It's called neutral monism, and seems to me to be another way of philosophically interpreting the experience of nonduality, besides idealism. 

[Leo Gura]

Of course Spinoza knew what's up.

He was a Western mystic. Apparently a hero of Einstein's.

Check out Bishop George Berkeley too.

[Rilles]

Spinoza studied Kabbalah, his books were banned by the Catholic Church, he had his thorny mind in someones ass thats for sure. 

[Shadowraix]

9 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Of course Spinoza knew what's up.

He was a Western mystic. Apparently a hero of Einstein's.

Check out Bishop George Berkeley too.

Will do, much appreciated.

5 hours ago, Rilles said:

Spinoza studied Kabbalah, his books were banned by the Catholic Church, he had his thorny mind in someones ass thats for sure. 

haha  im not surprised.

[RichardY]

You could listen to "The Ethics" on Audible. I didn't pay much attention to the beginning section, on modal logic. The emotion section might be useful, but he flips the "ought and is". So as he says he, can conceive of absolute infinity, as the highest human faculty, he then goes on to say how you ought to act with emotions and how they play a role in human decisions. There's a video somewhere on YouTube by Rebecca Goldstein about Spinoza.

So perhaps he is enlightened, although equally he could be broken, down through Ego Death, possibly soul death. Although probably highly productive unit/ant, the reasoning I'm not so sure on given the offshoot of Hegel, contributing to mass Imperialism around the globe, Manifest Destiny, and millions dead.

The last chapter, has him arguing for a welfare state, that must be maintained with terror. Kind of a "Blood and Iron" view.

In terms of raw power and dangerous books, wondering if anyone knows any. In terms of concentrated reasoning, Government is madness. Collectivism is not necessarily so, I think Aristotle would agree. Given Individualism means idiocy in ancient Greek.