Spinoza believed that everything in the universe is determined by natural laws, with no room for randomness or free will as traditionally understood. This determinism led him to conclude that human beings are part of nature and subject to its laws, just like any other being. Yet, Spinoza saw freedom in understanding and accepting this reality. For him, true freedom comes from aligning oneself with nature’s order, achieving peace of mind by understanding the causes of one’s actions and emotions rather than resisting them.
Beautifully expressed, thank you. Some teachers also suggest that becoming aware of how we resist certain actions and emotions is part of enjoying peace of mind, but I am not equipped to explain the subtlety of this point. Just thought it might be worth mentioning because it hints that nature's order also provides the appearance of resistance, i.e. resistance is, then, not a problem with which to wrestle.
There is no special place for us in nature! Why passively aligning ourselves, like animals? Nope, we are rebels! This way we created civilisation: in opposition to nature. Would crawling through the jungle be preferable? Our intellect evolved collectively - what would a lone sage do on an deserted island? To equate passive acquiescence with 'freedom' is not even a joke - it is pathetic. Perhaps the reason why the Spanish philosopher Unamuno called Baruch "the sad Jew of Amsterdam"...
I discovered Spinoza as a 19 year old college student. I intuitively knew I had found a truth I had somehow always known. Today at age 72 I know I was correct and it brings me great comfort as I look to move on.
That's a beautiful reflection. It’s powerful when you discover a philosophy that resonates so deeply with your own understanding of the world. It sounds like Spinoza’s ideas have provided you with lasting clarity and peace throughout your life. Wishing you continued comfort and wisdom as you move forward.
You were a good bit ahead of me in coming across Spinoza although we're the same age... I had gone through a series of powerfully transformational experiences that had led me to many of the same perspectives as Spinoza expressed by the mid 90's... then I came across the work of Spinoza which gave my own understanding, knowledge and awareness considerably more depth and definition. I have lived according to this basic philosophy ever since and it is quite liberating if one truly adheres to it. My 'sticky bits' in life can always be traced to having veered away from the Spinoza philosophy somewhere, and once discovered the corrective is easy to bring about. I'm truly delighted to see someone giving this what it deserves here on UA-cam, truly an Oasis in the desert of chaos!
My stepfather told me about Spinoza's idea of God and nature during a walk with the dog, and to me it had the effect as if suddenly a veil was lifted and I could see the trees and nature around me so very vibrantly clear. It was a transformative moment for me.
Why have I never heard ANYTHING about this man or his womderful and ground breaking philosophy? Why? It could have made such a difference in my life. I hope everyone on hear that knows about this, shares it w/everyone in their life.
The Concept of the Creator and Creation as one. Is also very New Testament Biblical in the teachings of Christ being the Creator of all things and Christians as being appart of Christ and a New Creation in him.
That is a fantastic video. Your interpretation of Spinoza is in fact very accurate, and can definitely see that you took the time to get into the essence of his philosophy, and how he influenced not only the enlightenment philosophers, but also scientists, the creators of the great American Constitution, as well as the continental and postmodernist philosophers.
The belief 'Nature is God' is actually quite ancient. In particular, it is implicit in many of the so-called 'nature philosophies' of the Pre-Socratic thinkers of Ancient Greece.
@@alwaysgreatusa223 Everyone has a theory on existentialism ,from God to nature,maybe that’s the point.You have the right to form your own theory of existence and were given a powerful tool,well not everyone ,your brain,to figure it out ,without interference from the creator.
@@lv4077The host of the video called Spinoza's theory a radical new idea, but in reality it's a quite ancient belief that has many forms. Spinoza's is perhaps more scientific than these earlier beliefs, but theories identifying.nature as God are very ancient and not that.radical.
@@alwaysgreatusa223 Yes,as a matter of fact ,Spinoza’s take was ,as you said ,maybe a little more advanced than described in previous cultures.I would like to see how 17th and 18th century philosophers would approach the subject now with the accumulated scientific knowledge and the detailed understanding of the complexity of the universe and its “laws”.
Spinoza was wrong. Death is not natural; rather it is unnatural. And death is not from nature; rather it is against nature. All of nature cries out: “I do not know death! I do not wish death! I am afraid of death! I strive against death!” Death is an uninvited stranger to nature. All of nature bristles at this uninvited stranger and is afraid of it because it is like a thief in somebody else’s garden who does not just steal and eat the fruit, but also who tramples, spoils, breaks and uproots what is planted and the more it ravages, the more it becomes satisfied. Even when one hundred philosophies declare that “Death is Natural!” all of nature trembles in indignations and shouts: “No! I have no use for death! It is an uninvited stranger!” And the voice of nature is not sophistry. The protest of nature against death outweighs all excuses thought up to justify death. And if there is something that nature struggles to express in its untouched harmony, doing so without expectation in unison of voices, this it is a protest against death. It is its unanimous, frantic, and heaven-shaking elegy to death. If in fact death is unnatural, if it is not natural and against nature, then a question arises: why is it so and whence does death enter nature? Not a single kingdom of light and life accepts death as its native. It must have sneaked into the world’s life secretly-crawling on its belly and staying out of sight so that it would not be spotted and exposed-from some bottomless abyss where even it was too cold and lonely. When death was under the stinger of a snake, it was dead for itself and nobody in the world knew about good and evil-only the bliss existed; and nobody heard of knowledge and ignorance-there was only wisdom; and nobody knew of life and death-there was only the state of blissfully wise existence. But because of an occasion, which is more dreadful that the most horrible nightmare, the mouth of the snake opened and the stinger full of venom appeared out of it-and death entered the first-created nature… This intrusion could be likened to the way a tiny worm penetrates the spine of a man without him even sensing the invasion so that the man continues to blossom and feel merry. Then he will fell the worm as a pleasant itching; he might rub his back, smile and say: “It is nothing.” And this will go on until the moment the worm grows big, multiplies and exhausts the spine so that the man becomes like a hollow cane which mindlessly whistles a hymn of madness and death. What doctor would say to this madman with a dried up spine when he, in the doctor’s presence, like a hollow cane whistles a triumphal hymn to death: “Go and sin no more, and you will be whole.”? Not a single doctor in this world. Perhaps only that doctor who is not different than his patient. Why is it that the sickly-sweet upholders of ethics, with their sickly-sweet theories do not depict the devil on the front page? Why do they not say to say sinner: “Go and sin no more.”? That is: Go and do not let more worms into your spine! What a joy must feel the worm that has already burrowed unto one’s spine when it hears such counselors! Truly it rejoices with joy of a hungry one who has enough food for himself and knows that it will not have to be shared with anybody. ST NIKOLAI VELIMIROVIC
BECAUSE I respected & admired my late ex-father-in-law so much, and he studied and liked Spinoza, I became interested in Spinoza too. And, since I am interested in sub-atomic physics, Spinoza makes a lot of sense to me. So, here I am, thank you Barney, I like Spinoza too
Second the motion. Even an atheist can understand Brahman is the only human conception of God yet devised that requires no tortured, pretzel-twisting feats of apologetics or hysterical calls to faith and belief to accept. "That which is not comprehended by the mind, but by which the mind comprehends - know that to be Brahman. Brahman is not the being who is worshiped of men." [Kena Upanishad]
@@marshallmkerr”Hebrews 11:1-3 (KJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Brahman (lit “the Vast”) is described as the “field of consciousness “ from and, importantly , within which all phenomena manifest. The Upanishads provide descriptions of as well as what might be termed psychological methods for experiencing this underlying reality. Patanjali’s yoga sutras posit “chitta vriti nirodha” ( control of the fluctuations of the mind) as the requirement for a state of samadhi eventuating in the final experience of kaivalya, or unity of the individual awareness with the cosmic reality or divine. Vedanta espouses “Atma vichara” or self enquiry and uses Who (or What) am “I” as an examination of the experiencing consciousness which it turns out has many modes of functioning only one of which is reason. (Others being, memory, imagination, gratitude, love, hope etc.) Which brings us back to Hebrews: “Faith is substance…” which reminds us of Jesus saying that “….the very hairs on your head were numbered”. Consider the implications of an infinite consciousness. Normal math breaks down so where 2+2=4 and 2-2=0. But ♾️-♾️=♾️! Then Blake’s wonderment at “..what immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry!” Reminds us that reason, though a very fine thing and all too rare, is transcended in the direct experience of “That” whereby an individual’s limitations are seen as errors(avidya = ignorance) and “..the Truth that will make you free” is deeply and personally known that “I and my father are One”.
There certainly is a resemblance. The interconnectedness and the idea that happiness is found within. Yet there are vital differences. Hinduism has its dogma’s and its view on society and ethics differs fundamentally from Spinoza. But it’s good to stress the resemblance and I hope it helps you to inquire (his) philosophy on its own merits. Kind regards from Amsterdam.
@@basvoer-qp7qw Not comparing to Hinduism, of course. From the inception of the Hindu synthesis about 600AD onwards, it was already adulterated IMO. However, if you go back to Vedas and Upanishids, thats where you see a lot of similarities, the idea that you and universe (Bramhan) are the same/inseparable is the basic concept of Yoga (again not be compared with today's calisthenics which is termed as yoga in these times)
@@0verkilled ~~ Interconnectedness and Kindness are how I explain Buddhism . If a 6th grader can't understand what you're saying you don't know it yourself .
Interesting to discover that Spinoza came to realize what all indigenous people of the world have always known: the one principle of Life that is the Source of all life and from which everything comes from.
Excellent video, I love it when the algorithm works and I have new and great channels to discovery. Can't wait to see your channel blow up and get the attention it deserves.
I respectfully ask you to consider the need for faith. Que sera does not allow for cause and effect linked to a living God who rewards those who faithfully seek Him. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the light” and He came back from the dead to prove it. We don’t need to understand it, we need to believe it by faith.
I still believe there is an inherent paradox in existence.. that belies Spinoza's too 'fixed' solution.. Quantum mechanics now insists on 'motivation' as a key ingredient to bring about the Big Bang.. and that would suggest moving from Spinoza's Deism to Theism, where the motivator is pure Love.. without it we're left with a sterile infinite field of possibilities that 'just sits there' for eternity..
I was brought up orthodox Jewish and after 55 years of seeking for truth I discovered yoga and Buddhism have the best answers to every question. The greatest wisdom is in advaita vedanta non duality. We don't need to argue religion. We can actually experience and BE infinite divine peace, love, truth and BLISS🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
@@devroombagchus7460 Just what it says. The answers to the questions we all seek are in these sacred texts. I am agreeing with the comment above me saying the same thing. Hinduism sacred texts and Buddhist s sacred texts point to the same universal truths, very similar to Spinoza's ideas.
The little girl who asked questions in church and got pinched, thanks you so much for doing this video. I really do hope this reaches whoever need to hear it.
Today, I discovered Spinoza as a 72 year old. I intuitively knew I had found a truth I had somehow always known. At age 17 I didn't know I was correct. It brings me a deep and quiet comfort as I look to move on.
@@isamkamel the unity of all existence is cosmologically ubiquitous amongst many of the known human religions alive and dead. Mayans, Hindus, Buddhist, North American Cherokee, Navajo, and the list goes on and on.
there is an excellent little museum in the old jewish quarter of Amsterdam that holds a fairly large collection of Spinoza's journals documenting his thoughts, reasoning and drawings... well worth the visit
@ss-ib8gm i hear you - but we can all afford to reflect on our past decisions and take actions attempting to correct what we have done wrong to others and enjoy those other times when we have done well for others too. have a wonderful day.
@@ctvm4911 I've lived in Amsterdam for over 35 years now and this doesn't ring a bell. There is a Spinoza house in The Hague, Paviljoensgracht 72-74 where they keep books of him and about him, and there is a museum Spinoza House in Rijnsburg near The Hague at the Spinozalaan 29 where they keep his reconstructed library and some other things.
@@wr1120 Yes, thank you. I live there too. I wondered where Wayne saw this little museum in Amsterdam. I long to find it, a place like that, a beautiful place for Spinoza in his birth town. On the place where the house of his parents stood is a church now, run by the St.Egidio people. It is next to the fleamarket and across from the magnificent Ets Haim Library at the Portugees synagogue. Did Wayne tune in to a new future when he saw the excellent little museum in the old jewish quarter? Fantastic, I love to help getting it started up!
Me too !! At 64, I have loved studying theologies and philosophies but always believed we are part of the whole natural universe. This being expressed here in this video is how I have always felt.. This makes me so happy to see and hear. Someone thinks like me.
Well done indeed. May I bring to your attention a book called 'Artificial Intelligence - Paradise Lost'. Chapter 5 is dedicated to Baruch Spinoza, entitled 'Paradise Regained'
Spinoza fascinates me. I remember reading an truly impressibe illustration of Spinoza's actually living by his ethics, at considerable sacrifice to himself. I think it was in the short biography given in his volume in the 1952 edition of the well-known (University of Chicago) Great Books. (To be honest, it made me feel a bit cheap about my own commitment to ethics.) If the human race must exist, they could do worse than adhering to Spinoza's philosophy. It would make the human race into a more creditable addition to the impersonal universe.
love the imagery... such a wealth of conscious expression in the substance of the art of times past and thanks for the insights regarding this interesting courageous 17th century thinker
God is Nature - philosophy of the Vedas also in ancient India. However, not a single commentary notes this similarity, simply because Western intellectual goes only as far as Ancient Greece, as if other cultures never pondered on the same questions
If anything could ever unite us all and get beyond the endless bickering and blood shed of religions it’s this guys work. I still think this will be the “ religion “ of the future.
The connection is and always was obvious. "Substance" was never profoundly different from the Tao. It's hard to look at reality with a clear mind without coming to a similar conclusion. Spinoza was always one of the best. If I remember right, the Ethics never mentions that word. Because when you follow the way your behavior must be ethical. Unlike "morality", which Nietzsche explained well. Zen understanding is also very similar, and the masters use the term "the way" all the time. Even the medieval schoolmen figured this out routinely, popped up as pantheism, which the church hates. As did Meister Eckhart, who DT Suzuki considered the only western theologian who got it. He was excommunicated too, lol.
@@BillLeblanc-yi3hn no. Eastern stuff didnt start appearing in Europe until much later. I believe Schopenhauer was the first to get hold of some terrible translations, which were underpinnings of World as Will and Representation. That was Indian material I believe. But not of tao teh ching as far as I know. That understanding is essentially self evident to anyone with a degree of clarity. It doesn't need to be taught. Eckhart has it too, as do most pantheists, it just depends on how freed from dogma they let themselves be. Heidegger was one of the first with a fairly explicit connection to Zen that I'm aware of. Being and Time is drenched in it. Nietzsche had only the faintest exposure to the Indian materials.
Please read Will Durant - 'The Story of Philosophy ' on Spinoza. I have read chapter 4, Spinoza, about 4 times . The author brings us close to being his follower of his day.
Thank you for your work and efforts. Good accurate information is much appreciated. I’m so so well educated, glad to get good information that I know is real…❤
Agreed. I’m personally identify as a Wiccan (I primarily worship the Celtic pantheon although I also honor the Norse and Egyptian deities) and my mom actually made a statement when she was a teen in Sunday School about the higher power being fine with worshipping nature because nature was created by the higher power. This was before she even heard of animism or Spinoza (she’s from a Lutheran Protestant family). I like to joke it was a sign one of her kids was going to be a follower of a nature-based faith.
@@amyrenee1361sounds like you're trying to convince yourself while lurking in the comments section of a video about Spinoza's God...but the fact that you're curious and seeking the truth is progress ✌️
Thank you! I will be watching this again...I've been interested in Spinoza for a long time, but...ordered Ethics...and found it too difficult to understand! A friend laughed at me, saying that noone expects to just dive into such a book; one starts the journey perhaps with a semester course at a universtiy. As I had persued a completely different path, this now interestes me very much--living in Israel "turned off" by the American society of the 1960's, which was becoming more and more, commericialized day by day. Living in Israel, fanatics on all sides, there is something reassuring and pleasingly humane about his way of thinking. I also got the biography "Spinoza; A Life" by Steven Nadler, and am finding it riviting. What does this maker of videos and other watchers of this one think?
Try Gilles Deleuze's book Spinoza. It's very good. Most people who write on Spinoza and Nietzsche are terrible because they don't get it. Be aware that books written by people far below this level simply can't understand them. Deleuze while not at Spinoza's level was just a step below. And understood the flux of becoming decently. The Ethics is structured like a law book. It's actually not that hard to read once you start thinking of it as a technical law book. And slow your mind WAY down to follow every sentence. Real philosophy is not easy reading. But you can never understand the book without reading it because it's a manual in attaining clarity. The trick is to not skip stuff. Read and reread until you can follow it. As Hegel said in his introduction to the Phenomenology of Spirit, you have to forget bildungsdenken, which is a cool german word that encompasses picture thought, conceptual thought, your educated trained thought, and follow along and let them remold your mind. If I remember right it helps to have some familiarity with the medieval schoolmen but Spinoza is much easier to read than Kant or Hegel.
@@noname-ll2vk thank you! It is very generous to take the time and effort to give a helping hand. I'm going to write it down and continue my search in understanding.
We can neither procrastinate the "Advancement" nor precrastinate; we are willed to "Progressively Advance" in the "Eternal Now" by our own forgotten Will, we are a "Designated Time" by ourselves. This awareness is "Key" to understanding the "Locked" condition we are in!!
Thanks for this very clear explanation. I knew a little about Spinoza but this has helped my understanding immensely while, at the same time, revealing clear parallels with Buddhist philosophy - which I knew quite a lot about. I guess that, in a small way, this proves the point about interconnectedness.
Glad you enjoyed it! .. at one point I will start getting into Buddhist philosophy and make some videos about it too… any recommendations where/what is the best way to start learning about it?
Our surroundings reward and punish when not treated well. I think that Carl Sagan reasoned similar in his explanation on what religion isn't or doesn't. God is a vague term and can mean (slightly) different things to different people. It wasn't meant to be interpreted on an individual basis. It was meant to unify and give people a sense of belonging, purpose as identity. Yet it became a means of control, power and exploitation. What is it that you may not question? (that what tries to control you).
*Given that Mr. Spinoza chose the first name, "Benedictus" for himself, I have always thought that he should be referred to that way, that is, "Benedictus Spinoza" (instead of Baruch Spinoza).*
This reminds me of the Advaita Vedanta in the Indian tradition, and of "Tawhid" (Oneness) from the Sufis. This is far beyond what we usually call faith, creed and religion.
It is perhaps the universal religion of us all, free from man constricting hold, but to wonder, to look all around, and wonder at what part we play in our so little time. To know we to know nothing, but have the capacity to wonder, and give thanks.
This general idea is much older than Spinoza. Plato, Hermeticism, gnosticism, and most ancient south asian traditions. Spinoza really just articulated it for a modern audience with a few of his own additions.
Enjoyed this video. Good production and I like your voice - accent. North UK? I found what I was searching for in advaita vedanta, but it's not a million miles from Spinoza so I can see a lot of truth in this. I've not noticed you come up before but I will look out for future videos. Thank you.
not by a large shot. that's not freedom, that is a given privelidge. we are still not free. we cannot travel without permission, work, make money, make a living without permission, can't go too far out of the outside social boundaries unless we are to be punished. we are not free. it is the illusion of choice.
I think that's just a postmodern claim. Postmodernism is a philosophical commitment. Free will is being able to make choices. Those are two completely different categories of thought.
@@philosophyforum4668 An interesting interpretation - there will of course be others. I'm not "committed" to postmodernism or any other philosophy. I'm just making an observation that there are almost as many interpretations as there are comments - and that's okay.
It is an insult to Spinoza to call him Baruch. He did not use that name, but the rabbis of Amsterdam cursed and reviled him by that name. He used the name Benedict, and published under that name. He was always referred to as Benedict Spinoza until fairly recently.
I don't know if Spinoza had knowledge of ancient philosophies except fron Greeks and Romans. But he had the burden of his jewish origin and religion. Greeks before Socrates are called physical philosophers because they tried to understood the world that surrounds us. Still they had no philosophical method, so Spinoza did a lot of work in that matter.
@ no philosophical method? Oh, I’m sorry, but that’s not true at all. A philosophy cannot be validated without some kind of method. Their writings just didn’t stress the method as much as the results, which should be understood as “many ways to reach to same mountain top.” The mountain top is the important part, for the paths are innumerable. Much of what led the Alchemy-Chemistry evolution was the return of Greek wisdom to European minds by Muslims. These philosophies have much in common with Vedic wisdom. The golden embryo, for example, and the variety of cosmological perspectives from Heraclitus to Plotinus became available to minds more acceptable to materialist views of spiritual manifestations. The interest in Kabbalah goes along with this. Even though it’s considered a Jewish thing, it’s actually adopted into Hellenic Judaism…although the Torah says NOT to worship the tree. It challenges the patriarchal denigration of the feminine earthly powers, the serpent in the tree, and the wooden “idol” that gives a body to the Spiritual Father. This denigration derives from the dualism of philosophies like Stoicism. This switch of gender association happened in India as the light became the white Buddha and the earth became the black goddess. Before, Shakti-Tejas was the feminine fire-light while the dark material substratum was Shiva. Many variations in all the cultures, but it’s present in all of them.
@jeffatwood9417 You mention Heraclitus, but his book has never been found, i hope one day it will be found. Stoicism came much later, i am not referring to them. But from Hercules we only know some fragments and Anaximandros, Thales and Anaximenis were free spirits philosophers (lovers of wishdom as the word means in Greek) but they had no specific method except from discussing with other people. The first who really created a philosophical method was Aristotelis. He categorised the key words and the genres of research of philosophy for centuries.
This is a good summary of Spinoza's work, but it doesn't mention that he did not say that good and evil do not exist. He seems to have preferred the terms good and bad, stating that they can only be understood in relation to any somewhat durable phenomenon as a process which either perpetuates (good) or terminates (bad) that particular phenomenon. Like many philosophers of his time, he apparently considers 'substance ' paramount in nature, but here he presages the contemporary emphasis on relatedness.
This is fascinating. It's very close to the Mahayana teaching on the Three Thousand Existential Spaces in a Single Moment of Mind. Spinoza would have loved to talk with the Buddha. Our religious and ideological differences are challenged by the reality of Non Duality. It's easy to say, yet impossible to understand. Our life is that Mind as is all sentient and insentient existence. All is one. The Buddha says not to worry that we don't get it. Buddhism is apart from the Abrahamic religions in its aproach to the mystery of living, dying and eternity. When we begin to soften our bonds to the routine thinking of our families, clans, social groups and coreligionists, these ideas of Spinoza are - pun intended - enlightening.
I can get with that. Over 70 years, I find I came back to it more and more. It fits the modern mind, aware there are great expanses, a vast universe, and billions of years of development. The very abode of deity is no longer just up there in the clouds or up on that stormy mountain. Speaking of that, I loved the art. It's a job to dig up relevant visuals every time I know. But what's up with nipples on the male-looking angel? AI always has some weird elements too.
I feel like most of us feels this way but we didn’t see the sight to what that means… It give a comprehensive understanding of when we hear, The Most High is within us…yes and now Also WE are inside The Most High as well. Interesting
I want to start covering foundational content that introduces key figures and concepts from philosophy and psychology and after to try going a bit more in depth into certain philosophical and psychological concepts, which I find interesting
Spinoza believed that everything in the universe is determined by natural laws, with no room for randomness or free will as traditionally understood. This determinism led him to conclude that human beings are part of nature and subject to its laws, just like any other being. Yet, Spinoza saw freedom in understanding and accepting this reality. For him, true freedom comes from aligning oneself with nature’s order, achieving peace of mind by understanding the causes of one’s actions and emotions rather than resisting them.
Great understanding
Beautifully expressed, thank you.
Some teachers also suggest that becoming aware of how we resist certain actions and emotions is part of enjoying peace of mind, but I am not equipped to explain the subtlety of this point. Just thought it might be worth mentioning because it hints that nature's order also provides the appearance of resistance, i.e. resistance is, then, not a problem with which to wrestle.
There is no special place for us in nature! Why passively aligning ourselves, like animals? Nope, we are rebels! This way we created civilisation: in opposition to nature. Would crawling through the jungle be preferable? Our intellect evolved collectively - what would a lone sage do on an deserted island?
To equate passive acquiescence with 'freedom' is not even a joke - it is pathetic. Perhaps the reason why the Spanish philosopher Unamuno called Baruch "the sad Jew of Amsterdam"...
@@walterbraun3731 If you're enjoying the fight against nature, no problem.
@@walterbraun3731We can probably have both without destroying nature like we have. Long term consequences will be grave.
I discovered Spinoza as a 19 year old college student. I intuitively knew I had found a truth I had somehow always known. Today at age 72 I know I was correct and it brings me great comfort as I look to move on.
That's a beautiful reflection. It’s powerful when you discover a philosophy that resonates so deeply with your own understanding of the world. It sounds like Spinoza’s ideas have provided you with lasting clarity and peace throughout your life. Wishing you continued comfort and wisdom as you move forward.
😅
I had the same experience.
When you know, you know 😉
You were a good bit ahead of me in coming across Spinoza although we're the same age... I had gone through a series of powerfully transformational experiences that had led me to many of the same perspectives as Spinoza expressed by the mid 90's... then I came across the work of Spinoza which gave my own understanding, knowledge and awareness considerably more depth and definition. I have lived according to this basic philosophy ever since and it is quite liberating if one truly adheres to it. My 'sticky bits' in life can always be traced to having veered away from the Spinoza philosophy somewhere, and once discovered the corrective is easy to bring about. I'm truly delighted to see someone giving this what it deserves here on UA-cam, truly an Oasis in the desert of chaos!
My stepfather told me about Spinoza's idea of God and nature during a walk with the dog, and to me it had the effect as if suddenly a veil was lifted and I could see the trees and nature around me so very vibrantly clear. It was a transformative moment for me.
Why have I never heard ANYTHING about this man or his womderful and ground breaking philosophy? Why? It could have made such a difference in my life. I hope everyone on hear that knows about this, shares it w/everyone in their life.
The concept was already in existence in ancient India known as Advaitvad ( Creation & Creator are ONE)
If the we knew we are living dream, life would become more fun! Be desire-less and be done with it. Nisargadatta is my fav. AV is the truest
What kind of pizza did the Buddhist order? One with everything.
Brahman: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahman#%3A%7E%3Atext%3DBrahman_is_the_origin_and%2Crealized_by_all_human_beings.?wprov=sfla1
The Concept of the Creator and Creation as one. Is also very New Testament Biblical in the teachings of Christ being the Creator of all things and Christians as being appart of Christ and a New Creation in him.
Its my opinion that it has always been there. The churches and religions suppress it and interject their deities
That is a fantastic video. Your interpretation of Spinoza is in fact very accurate, and can definitely see that you took the time to get into the essence of his philosophy, and how he influenced not only the enlightenment philosophers, but also scientists, the creators of the great American Constitution, as well as the continental and postmodernist philosophers.
The belief 'Nature is God' is actually quite ancient. In particular, it is implicit in many of the so-called 'nature philosophies' of the Pre-Socratic thinkers of Ancient Greece.
@@alwaysgreatusa223 Everyone has a theory on existentialism ,from God to nature,maybe that’s the point.You have the right to form your own theory of existence and were given a powerful tool,well not everyone ,your brain,to figure it out ,without interference from the creator.
@@lv4077The host of the video called Spinoza's theory a radical new idea, but in reality it's a quite ancient belief that has many forms. Spinoza's is perhaps more scientific than these earlier beliefs, but theories identifying.nature as God are very ancient and not that.radical.
@@alwaysgreatusa223 Yes,as a matter of fact ,Spinoza’s take was ,as you said ,maybe a little more advanced than described in previous cultures.I would like to see how 17th and 18th century philosophers would approach the subject now with the accumulated scientific knowledge and the detailed understanding of the complexity of the universe and its “laws”.
Spinoza was wrong.
Death is not natural; rather it is unnatural.
And death is not from nature; rather it is against nature.
All of nature cries out: “I do not know death! I do not wish death! I am afraid of death! I strive against death!”
Death is an uninvited stranger to nature.
All of nature bristles at this uninvited stranger and is afraid of it because it is like a thief in somebody else’s garden who does not just steal and eat the fruit, but also who tramples, spoils, breaks and uproots what is planted and the more it ravages, the more it becomes satisfied.
Even when one hundred philosophies declare that “Death is Natural!” all of nature trembles in indignations and shouts: “No! I have no use for death! It is an uninvited stranger!”
And the voice of nature is not sophistry.
The protest of nature against death outweighs all excuses thought up to justify death.
And if there is something that nature struggles to express in its untouched harmony, doing so without expectation in unison of voices, this it is a protest against death. It is its unanimous, frantic, and heaven-shaking elegy to death.
If in fact death is unnatural, if it is not natural and against nature, then a question arises: why is it so and whence does death enter nature?
Not a single kingdom of light and life accepts death as its native. It must have sneaked into the world’s life secretly-crawling on its belly and staying out of sight so that it would not be spotted and exposed-from some bottomless abyss where even it was too cold and lonely.
When death was under the stinger of a snake, it was dead for itself and nobody in the world knew about good and evil-only the bliss existed; and nobody heard of knowledge and ignorance-there was only wisdom; and nobody knew of life and death-there was only the state of blissfully wise existence.
But because of an occasion, which is more dreadful that the most horrible nightmare, the mouth of the snake opened and the stinger full of venom appeared out of it-and death entered the first-created nature… This intrusion could be likened to the way a tiny worm penetrates the spine of a man without him even sensing the invasion so that the man continues to blossom and feel merry. Then he will fell the worm as a pleasant itching; he might rub his back, smile and say: “It is nothing.” And this will go on until the moment the worm grows big, multiplies and exhausts the spine so that the man becomes like a hollow cane which mindlessly whistles a hymn of madness and death.
What doctor would say to this madman with a dried up spine when he, in the doctor’s presence, like a hollow cane whistles a triumphal hymn to death: “Go and sin no more, and you will be whole.”? Not a single doctor in this world. Perhaps only that doctor who is not different than his patient.
Why is it that the sickly-sweet upholders of ethics, with their sickly-sweet theories do not depict the devil on the front page? Why do they not say to say sinner: “Go and sin no more.”? That is: Go and do not let more worms into your spine!
What a joy must feel the worm that has already burrowed unto one’s spine when it hears such counselors! Truly it rejoices with joy of a hungry one who has enough food for himself and knows that it will not have to be shared with anybody.
ST NIKOLAI VELIMIROVIC
BECAUSE I respected & admired my late ex-father-in-law so much, and he studied and liked Spinoza, I became interested in Spinoza too. And, since I am interested in sub-atomic physics, Spinoza makes a lot of sense to me. So, here I am, thank you Barney, I like Spinoza too
Loved it. As a sanatani, i find it in absolute congruence with
Vedanta and upanishads
This was explored and explained at length in Vedas 3000 years ago, of course Spinoza has given his flavour which I totally agree.
Second the motion. Even an atheist can understand Brahman is the only human conception of God yet devised that requires no tortured, pretzel-twisting feats of apologetics or hysterical calls to faith and belief to accept. "That which is not comprehended by the mind, but by which the mind comprehends - know that to be Brahman. Brahman is not the being who is worshiped of men." [Kena Upanishad]
@@marshallmkerr”Hebrews 11:1-3 (KJV)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Brahman (lit “the Vast”) is described as the “field of consciousness “ from and, importantly , within which all phenomena manifest. The Upanishads provide descriptions of as well as what might be termed psychological methods for experiencing this underlying reality. Patanjali’s yoga sutras posit “chitta vriti nirodha” ( control of the fluctuations of the mind) as the requirement for a state of samadhi eventuating in the final experience of kaivalya, or unity of the individual awareness with the cosmic reality or divine. Vedanta espouses “Atma vichara” or self enquiry and uses Who (or What) am “I” as an examination of the experiencing consciousness which it turns out has many modes of functioning only one of which is reason. (Others being, memory, imagination, gratitude, love, hope etc.)
Which brings us back to Hebrews: “Faith is substance…” which reminds us of Jesus saying that “….the very hairs on your head were numbered”.
Consider the implications of an infinite consciousness. Normal math breaks down so where 2+2=4 and 2-2=0. But ♾️-♾️=♾️! Then Blake’s wonderment at “..what immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry!” Reminds us that reason, though a very fine thing and all too rare, is transcended in the direct experience of “That” whereby an individual’s limitations are seen as errors(avidya = ignorance) and “..the Truth that will make you free” is deeply and personally known that “I and my father are One”.
There certainly is a resemblance. The interconnectedness and the idea that happiness is found within. Yet there are vital differences. Hinduism has its dogma’s and its view on society and ethics differs fundamentally from Spinoza. But it’s good to stress the resemblance and I hope it helps you to inquire (his) philosophy on its own merits. Kind regards from Amsterdam.
@@basvoer-qp7qw Not comparing to Hinduism, of course. From the inception of the Hindu synthesis about 600AD onwards, it was already adulterated IMO. However, if you go back to Vedas and Upanishids, thats where you see a lot of similarities, the idea that you and universe (Bramhan) are the same/inseparable is the basic concept of Yoga (again not be compared with today's calisthenics which is termed as yoga in these times)
@@0verkilled ~~ Interconnectedness and Kindness are how I explain Buddhism . If a 6th grader can't understand what you're saying you don't know it yourself .
Interesting to discover that Spinoza came to realize what all indigenous people of the world have always known: the one principle of Life that is the Source of all life and from which everything comes from.
Mitakuye oyasin.
We are one with everything, there is no source there is just being. This is it and you are it.
We are all indigenous ☯️ (Mitochondrial Mom)
Excellent video, I love it when the algorithm works and I have new and great channels to discovery. Can't wait to see your channel blow up and get the attention it deserves.
Really glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶
Acceptance is the key to all our problems.
I respectfully ask you to consider the need for faith. Que sera does not allow for cause and effect linked to a living God who rewards those who faithfully seek Him. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the light” and He came back from the dead to prove it. We don’t need to understand it, we need to believe it by faith.
I still believe there is an inherent paradox in existence.. that belies Spinoza's too 'fixed' solution.. Quantum mechanics now insists on 'motivation' as a key ingredient to bring about the Big Bang.. and that would suggest moving from Spinoza's Deism to Theism, where the motivator is pure Love.. without it we're left with a sterile infinite field of possibilities that 'just sits there' for eternity..
key to Problems or Solutions..?
I’d say it’s more the beginning to the solution
far from a key, respectfully of course
I was brought up orthodox Jewish and after 55 years of seeking for truth I discovered yoga and Buddhism have the best answers to every question. The greatest wisdom is in advaita vedanta non duality. We don't need to argue religion. We can actually experience and BE infinite divine peace, love, truth and BLISS🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
At 70 I am at the same conclusion. Read the Gita, the upanishads and the Buddhist darma. The truth lie therein.
?. What does this mean?
Yes! @@tomjiunta1580
@@devroombagchus7460 Just what it says. The answers to the questions we all seek are in these sacred texts. I am agreeing with the comment above me saying the same thing. Hinduism sacred texts and Buddhist s sacred texts point to the same universal truths, very similar to Spinoza's ideas.
I found Buddhism and Stoicism in the last 5 years and it has greatly improved my life
Wow! He was way ahead of his time. Thanks 😊
Thank you for your hard work .. also like the calmness of your voice.. also like the music and that it does not over take your voice.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶
Excellent 👌 He is an amazing person who smilified Buddhism ❤
The little girl who asked questions in church and got pinched, thanks you so much for doing this video. I really do hope this reaches whoever need to hear it.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🫶
Today, I discovered Spinoza as a 72 year old. I intuitively knew I had found a truth I had somehow always known. At age 17 I didn't know I was correct. It brings me a deep and quiet comfort as I look to move on.
I hear you. 😊
Really glad it helped!!!! 🫶
Fantastic.
Thank you.
Watching from South-Africa
cool :) I'm in michigan usa.
May I recommend Neal Grossman’s The Spirit of Spinoza, for anyone looking for a practical deep dive into Spinoza’s philosophy and way of life.
Sounds really interesting, will definitely give it a go!!
Gilles Deleuze's Spinoza is excellent. One of the best surveys from a guy who got it. And it's fairly short.
Baruch Spinoza's ideas of the unity of existence originated in Ibn-Arabi's philosophy 1165-1240 in Andalusiens/Spain
@@isamkamel the unity of all existence is cosmologically ubiquitous amongst many of the known human religions alive and dead. Mayans, Hindus, Buddhist, North American Cherokee, Navajo, and the list goes on and on.
Thanks
Thank you so much! Recently events shook me up and I appreciate this more than I can express 🙏🏼🦋
there is an excellent little museum in the old jewish quarter of Amsterdam that holds a fairly large collection of Spinoza's journals documenting his thoughts, reasoning and drawings... well worth the visit
Wow they had excommunicated him
@ss-ib8gm i hear you - but we can all afford to reflect on our past decisions and take actions attempting to correct what we have done wrong to others and enjoy those other times when we have done well for others too.
have a wonderful day.
Can you give the address of where this little museum is in Amsterdam? I look forward to visit it...
@@ctvm4911 I've lived in Amsterdam for over 35 years now and this doesn't ring a bell. There is a Spinoza house in The Hague, Paviljoensgracht 72-74 where they keep books of him and about him, and there is a museum Spinoza House in Rijnsburg near The Hague at the Spinozalaan 29 where they keep his reconstructed library and some other things.
@@wr1120 Yes, thank you. I live there too.
I wondered where Wayne saw this little museum in Amsterdam.
I long to find it, a place like that, a beautiful place for Spinoza in his birth town.
On the place where the house of his parents stood is a church now, run by the St.Egidio people.
It is next to the fleamarket and across from the magnificent Ets Haim Library at the Portugees synagogue.
Did Wayne tune in to a new future when he saw the excellent little museum in the old jewish quarter?
Fantastic, I love to help getting it started up!
Well done! You bring your own unique way to bringing these ideas together in a way that’s easy to understand and remember. Thank you for this video!
Really glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶
Not radical ideas, but ideas of truth deemed by others to be radical. Thank you.
🌦️🌳🍃🍂🫶🙏
Understanding and kindness.
Thank you for the wonderful sharing .
Yeeeess!!! I have believed this all my life! I never heard anyone with the same idea.
Me too !! At 64, I have loved studying theologies and philosophies but always believed we are part of the whole natural universe. This being expressed here in this video is how I have always felt.. This makes me so happy to see and hear. Someone thinks like me.
Have you listened to Alan Watts?
We’re out here man, just separated/divided (by design)
I’m inclined to agree with Mr Spinoza. Freedom to be a part of the whole
its not individuals that need freedom its society that needs free individuals
Yes , it's most definitely the antithesis of communism, especially as it has putrified now !!
Free thinkers sometimes drink hemlock.
Well done indeed. May I bring to your attention a book called 'Artificial Intelligence - Paradise Lost'. Chapter 5 is dedicated to Baruch Spinoza, entitled 'Paradise Regained'
Very informative video, well done, nice and clear speak - love your work. ... And Spinoza is speaking louder than ever!
Yassen: The point is there are no Other deities, the is no other, there is no separation, only One and you are THAT.
I AM THAT I AM or just AM
Om Tat Sat
Tatwam Asi
One with everything.
Apart from not seeing a transcendent God Spinoza was a person of tremendous faith and courage and amongst the best and greatest in philosophy.
One cannot "see" a transcendent god, by definition. One doesn't need "faith". One needs logic and calm reflection.
Very well done video. A proper mix of background information about Spinoza's life and his ideas.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🫶
9:42 - “An emotion which is a passion ceases to be a passion as soon as we form a clear and distinct idea of it”.
This concept of god makes the most sense to me
all mystery is part of God's glory.
The theory of God is simply very …simplistic!
I being a follower of Advaita Philosophy, Spinoza's God resonates with me🙏
Spinoza didn't advocate for a cult which is so stupid that it appears profound.
Spinoza fascinates me. I remember reading an truly impressibe illustration of Spinoza's actually living by his ethics, at considerable sacrifice to himself. I think it was in the short biography given in his volume in the 1952 edition of the well-known (University of Chicago) Great Books. (To be honest, it made me feel a bit cheap about my own commitment to ethics.)
If the human race must exist, they could do worse than adhering to Spinoza's philosophy. It would make the human race into a more creditable addition to the impersonal universe.
Wow! Liked & Subscribed. Well done. And Salute to Spinoza…
Glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶
Many thanks for your excellent video - it brings together everything I have come to believe during my long life.
love the imagery...
such a wealth of conscious expression
in the substance of the art of times past
and thanks for the insights regarding
this interesting courageous 17th century thinker
Glad you enjoyed it! 🫶
Outstanding content! I've been enlightened by this, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🫶
God is Nature - philosophy of the Vedas also in ancient India. However, not a single commentary notes this similarity, simply because Western intellectual goes only as far as Ancient Greece, as if other cultures never pondered on the same questions
If anything could ever unite us all and get beyond the endless bickering and blood shed of religions it’s this guys work. I still think this will be the “ religion “ of the future.
Timely inspiration in our smart phone era of Trumpet
Thank you for this wonderful video. So inspirational.
Thanks!
Hope you enjoyed it and thank you very much for your support!! 🫶
Spinoza the Best!❤️🔥👍❤️🔥
Very interesting. I totally agree with Spinoza
Pretty sure Spinoza & Lao Tsu would've been great mates.
Totally with you. Too big a philosophical leap for most Westerners to take however.
The connection is and always was obvious. "Substance" was never profoundly different from the Tao. It's hard to look at reality with a clear mind without coming to a similar conclusion.
Spinoza was always one of the best. If I remember right, the Ethics never mentions that word. Because when you follow the way your behavior must be ethical. Unlike "morality", which Nietzsche explained well.
Zen understanding is also very similar, and the masters use the term "the way" all the time.
Even the medieval schoolmen figured this out routinely, popped up as pantheism, which the church hates. As did Meister Eckhart, who DT Suzuki considered the only western theologian who got it. He was excommunicated too, lol.
I was thinking the exact same thing. I wonder if Spinoza had access to his teachings.
@@BillLeblanc-yi3hn no. Eastern stuff didnt start appearing in Europe until much later. I believe Schopenhauer was the first to get hold of some terrible translations, which were underpinnings of World as Will and Representation. That was Indian material I believe. But not of tao teh ching as far as I know.
That understanding is essentially self evident to anyone with a degree of clarity. It doesn't need to be taught. Eckhart has it too, as do most pantheists, it just depends on how freed from dogma they let themselves be.
Heidegger was one of the first with a fairly explicit connection to Zen that I'm aware of. Being and Time is drenched in it. Nietzsche had only the faintest exposure to the Indian materials.
great males?.... 😉🙏
Excellent video. Concise and articulate. Subscribed.
Please read Will Durant - 'The Story of Philosophy ' on Spinoza. I have read chapter 4, Spinoza, about 4 times . The author brings us close to being his follower of his day.
Durant's book is still the best general introduction to the history of philosophy. I also recommend Karl Jaspers two volume history.
Sounds interesting, will definitely give it a go!!
Thank you for your work and efforts. Good accurate information is much appreciated. I’m so so well educated, glad to get good information that I know is real…❤
Glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶
Nature is the one true church and we are all believers….whether we like it or not! It’s the only religion that we cannot live without.
No it's not. Nature is cruel and unforgiving. That is not my nature, and that has not been my experience with God.
Agreed. I’m personally identify as a Wiccan (I primarily worship the Celtic pantheon although I also honor the Norse and Egyptian deities) and my mom actually made a statement when she was a teen in Sunday School about the higher power being fine with worshipping nature because nature was created by the higher power. This was before she even heard of animism or Spinoza (she’s from a Lutheran Protestant family). I like to joke it was a sign one of her kids was going to be a follower of a nature-based faith.
@@amyrenee1361sounds like you're trying to convince yourself while lurking in the comments section of a video about Spinoza's God...but the fact that you're curious and seeking the truth is progress ✌️
Brilliantly presented!
Thank you! I will be watching this again...I've been interested in Spinoza for a long time, but...ordered Ethics...and found it too difficult to understand! A friend laughed at me, saying that noone expects to just dive into such a book; one starts the journey perhaps with a semester course at a universtiy. As I had persued a completely different path, this now interestes me very much--living in Israel "turned off" by the American society of the 1960's, which was becoming more and more, commericialized day by day. Living in Israel, fanatics on all sides, there is something reassuring and pleasingly humane about his way of thinking.
I also got the biography "Spinoza; A Life" by Steven Nadler, and am finding it riviting. What does this maker of videos and other watchers of this one think?
Try Gilles Deleuze's book Spinoza. It's very good. Most people who write on Spinoza and Nietzsche are terrible because they don't get it.
Be aware that books written by people far below this level simply can't understand them. Deleuze while not at Spinoza's level was just a step below. And understood the flux of becoming decently.
The Ethics is structured like a law book. It's actually not that hard to read once you start thinking of it as a technical law book. And slow your mind WAY down to follow every sentence. Real philosophy is not easy reading. But you can never understand the book without reading it because it's a manual in attaining clarity. The trick is to not skip stuff. Read and reread until you can follow it.
As Hegel said in his introduction to the Phenomenology of Spirit, you have to forget bildungsdenken, which is a cool german word that encompasses picture thought, conceptual thought, your educated trained thought, and follow along and let them remold your mind.
If I remember right it helps to have some familiarity with the medieval schoolmen but Spinoza is much easier to read than Kant or Hegel.
@@noname-ll2vk thank you! It is very generous to take the time and effort to give a helping hand. I'm going to write it down and continue my search in understanding.
This information has been here for 4000 years or better, Einstein realized Spinoza was insightful and educated in spirituality. ❤ Eric Watson Sr.
Thanks for this program on Spinoza.
This is what I believe & this is my first introduction to Spinoza.
We are integral part of the universe, and the universe is an integral part of us, so we should be in harmony with the universe.
How many people in history would’ve benefited from that lesson. 😢
We can neither procrastinate the "Advancement" nor precrastinate; we are willed to "Progressively Advance" in the "Eternal Now" by our own forgotten Will, we are a "Designated Time" by ourselves. This awareness is "Key" to understanding the "Locked" condition we are in!!
What's with all the quotation marks?😮😅😂
I guess I was raised under a rock somewhere because i have never heard of this guy until now. Interesting. I shall bookmark this and pursue later.
Thanks for this very clear explanation. I knew a little about Spinoza but this has helped my understanding immensely while, at the same time, revealing clear parallels with Buddhist philosophy - which I knew quite a lot about. I guess that, in a small way, this proves the point about interconnectedness.
Glad you enjoyed it! .. at one point I will start getting into Buddhist philosophy and make some videos about it too… any recommendations where/what is the best way to start learning about it?
Great channel. Glad I found this.
Our surroundings reward and punish when not treated well. I think that Carl Sagan reasoned similar in his explanation on what religion isn't or doesn't. God is a vague term and can mean (slightly) different things to different people. It wasn't meant to be interpreted on an individual basis. It was meant to unify and give people a sense of belonging, purpose as identity. Yet it became a means of control, power and exploitation. What is it that you may not question? (that what tries to control you).
Excellent video, thanks!
*Given that Mr. Spinoza chose the first name, "Benedictus" for himself, I have always thought that he should be referred to that way, that is, "Benedictus Spinoza" (instead of Baruch Spinoza).*
Baruch means blessing in Hebrew. I understand Benedictus to be the Latin form of blessing or blessed one.
BEAUTIFUL content much appreciated
Glad you enjoyed it! 🫶
Wow I agree with this man.
This reminds me of the Advaita Vedanta in the Indian tradition, and of "Tawhid" (Oneness) from the Sufis. This is far beyond what we usually call faith, creed and religion.
Was channeling Spinoza during a shroom trip a decade or so ago.. Have been channeling him ever since.
It is perhaps the universal religion of us all, free from man constricting hold, but to wonder, to look all around, and wonder at what part we play in our so little time. To know we to know nothing, but have the capacity to wonder, and give thanks.
this wisdom is very well recorded in the Upanishads since time immemorial to the contemporary world.
I made a pilgrimage to Spinoza's home in Holland.
Great essay (video). I will be waiting on your work on stoicism if you are considering it.
Glad you liked it … yes, I will definitely do it at one point!
Really enjoyed this, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🫶
This general idea is much older than Spinoza. Plato, Hermeticism, gnosticism, and most ancient south asian traditions. Spinoza really just articulated it for a modern audience with a few of his own additions.
Enjoyed this video. Good production and I like your voice - accent. North UK? I found what I was searching for in advaita vedanta, but it's not a million miles from Spinoza so I can see a lot of truth in this. I've not noticed you come up before but I will look out for future videos. Thank you.
Thank you.
DEFINITION OF FREE WILL: the gift of being able to interpret Spinoza, this video, and its comments in any way you choose.
not by a large shot. that's not freedom, that is a given privelidge. we are still not free. we cannot travel without permission, work, make money, make a living without permission, can't go too far out of the outside social boundaries unless we are to be punished. we are not free. it is the illusion of choice.
well said
I think that's just a postmodern claim. Postmodernism is a philosophical commitment.
Free will is being able to make choices. Those are two completely different categories of thought.
Well, first you should define what "free" means in this context. "Free" from what?
@@philosophyforum4668 An interesting interpretation - there will of course be others. I'm not "committed" to postmodernism or any other philosophy. I'm just making an observation that there are almost as many interpretations as there are comments - and that's okay.
It is an insult to Spinoza to call him Baruch. He did not use that name, but the rabbis of Amsterdam cursed and reviled him by that name. He used the name Benedict, and published under that name. He was always referred to as Benedict Spinoza until fairly recently.
An insult? He's almost always referred to like that. An oversight? Possibly.
This is not new with Spinoza…he just gave a modern expression of ancient religious philosophies
I don't know if Spinoza had knowledge of ancient philosophies except fron Greeks and Romans. But he had the burden of his jewish origin and religion. Greeks before Socrates are called physical philosophers because they tried to understood the world that surrounds us. Still they had no philosophical method, so Spinoza did a lot of work in that matter.
@ no philosophical method? Oh, I’m sorry, but that’s not true at all. A philosophy cannot be validated without some kind of method. Their writings just didn’t stress the method as much as the results, which should be understood as “many ways to reach to same mountain top.” The mountain top is the important part, for the paths are innumerable. Much of what led the Alchemy-Chemistry evolution was the return of Greek wisdom to European minds by Muslims. These philosophies have much in common with Vedic wisdom. The golden embryo, for example, and the variety of cosmological perspectives from Heraclitus to Plotinus became available to minds more acceptable to materialist views of spiritual manifestations. The interest in Kabbalah goes along with this. Even though it’s considered a Jewish thing, it’s actually adopted into Hellenic Judaism…although the Torah says NOT to worship the tree. It challenges the patriarchal denigration of the feminine earthly powers, the serpent in the tree, and the wooden “idol” that gives a body to the Spiritual Father. This denigration derives from the dualism of philosophies like Stoicism.
This switch of gender association happened in India as the light became the white Buddha and the earth became the black goddess. Before, Shakti-Tejas was the feminine fire-light while the dark material substratum was Shiva.
Many variations in all the cultures, but it’s present in all of them.
@jeffatwood9417 You mention Heraclitus, but his book has never been found, i hope one day it will be found. Stoicism came much later, i am not referring to them. But from Hercules we only know some fragments and Anaximandros, Thales and Anaximenis were free spirits philosophers (lovers of wishdom as the word means in Greek) but they had no specific method except from discussing with other people. The first who really created a philosophical method was Aristotelis. He categorised the key words and the genres of research of philosophy for centuries.
Nice explanation ❤
Glad you liked it 🫶
Thank you for this.
This is a good summary of Spinoza's work, but it doesn't mention that he did not say that good and evil do not exist. He seems to have preferred the terms good and bad, stating that they can only be understood in relation to any somewhat durable phenomenon as a process which either perpetuates (good) or terminates (bad) that particular phenomenon. Like many philosophers of his time, he apparently considers 'substance ' paramount in nature, but here he presages the contemporary emphasis on relatedness.
It’s all about Love
Thank you for this
This is fascinating. It's very close to the Mahayana teaching on the Three Thousand Existential Spaces in a Single Moment of Mind. Spinoza would have loved to talk with the Buddha. Our religious and ideological differences are challenged by the reality of Non Duality. It's easy to say, yet impossible to understand. Our life is that Mind as is all sentient and insentient existence. All is one. The Buddha says not to worry that we don't get it. Buddhism is apart from the Abrahamic religions in its aproach to the mystery of living, dying and eternity. When we begin to soften our bonds to the routine thinking of our families, clans, social groups and coreligionists, these ideas of Spinoza are - pun intended - enlightening.
Good and evil came from the SAME ROOT...❤
His family were Portuguese Jews . And was raised in a Portuguese Jewish community . He embraced that element of his life.
Excellent. Thanks!
Nicely done. Thank you.
Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶
I can get with that. Over 70 years, I find I came back to it more and more. It fits the modern mind, aware there are great expanses, a vast universe, and billions of years of development. The very abode of deity is no longer just up there in the clouds or up on that stormy mountain.
Speaking of that, I loved the art. It's a job to dig up relevant visuals every time I know.
But what's up with nipples on the male-looking angel?
AI always has some weird elements too.
Nietzsche called him «den reinsten Weisen».
The theory of a God that created and rules everything,is simply very …simplistic !
I feel like most of us feels this way but we didn’t see the sight to what that means…
It give a comprehensive understanding of when we hear, The Most High is within us…yes and now Also WE are inside The Most High as well.
Interesting
What are future subjects in your series
I want to start covering foundational content that introduces key figures and concepts from philosophy and psychology and after to try going a bit more in depth into certain philosophical and psychological concepts, which I find interesting
All this “oneness” with nature concept sounds appealing,too bad life in our world isn’t playing Spinoza’s game.
Good point
Everything is one. The universe is simply energy in constant flux taking different forms. Pantheism: the one true "religion."
This is hilarious when compared to the way things are today.
People are so full of themselves that they have little self-awareness.