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Did Spinoza know God?

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He was one of the first Western philosophers who adopted pantheism. That's probably the closest it could get to Eastern non-duality teachings in Europe at that time. He was excommunicated from Amsterdam's Jewish community because of that.

Edited by Tyler Durden

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Spinoza's philosophy is very insightful, and he certainly seems to have encountered the Truth.

Spinoza, who was heavily influenced by Descartes, did reduce the Cartesian duality of substances (thought and extension) to one substance, God or Nature, and then made thought and extension attributes of that one substance.  I like his ideas about substances and modes, especially how he demonstrates there can only be one substance, but I don't know that I agree that thought and extension are attributes of God or Nature (the one substance).  I think that these are modes and the attributes would be existence and consciousness.  A substance does not necessarily exhibit a mode, but it must always contain it's attributes.  It is obvious from experience that both thought and extension can be suspended, but we would not say that existence or awareness were removed as well.  Although I have read Ethics, I am certainly not proficient in his thought, so there could be a misunderstanding on my part here.

Anyways, Spinoza is very inspiring and well worth the read.

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Meister Eckhart is also a very interesting European figure in this respect.


Apparently.

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My guess was not enlightened but intuitive of God.


 

Wisdom.  Truth.  Love.

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I read some of his Ethics, and it was one of the clearest intellectual images of God I have ever read. Spinoza is a great counterweight to Descartes, who is the dominant figure in metaphysics we all inherited from our culture.


Bearing with the conditioned in gentleness, fording the river with resolution, not neglecting what is distant, not regarding one's companions; thus one may manage to walk in the middle. H11L2

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Martin Butler has great elucidations of Spinoza's philosophy.


Bearing with the conditioned in gentleness, fording the river with resolution, not neglecting what is distant, not regarding one's companions; thus one may manage to walk in the middle. H11L2

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