The key to discovering and experiencing god, for spinoza, is philosophy and science, not religious awe and worshipful submission. List of books and articles about spinoza online research. The cambridge companion to spinoza edited by don garrett. Mar 01, 20 let us spell out what, in spinoza s view, are the consequences of the new scientific view of nature.
One common theme in almost every episode of cosmos 2. Leo strauss articulates the conflict between reason and revelation as he explores spinozas scientific, comparative, and textual treatment of the bible. It asks us to look at ourselves with unblinking objectivity. The latter give rise only to superstitious behavior and subservience to ecclesiastic authorities. Just to be clear, there is no single best book on spinoza. This implied a stark contrast between spinoza s scientific rationality and that of every other leading philosopher and scientist of the age, not least descartes. Until relatively recently, it seemed to have quietened down, but now hawking and others have brought it. But perhaps the most disturbing issue he raises is the question of jewish identity. Spinoza on philosophy, religion, and politics the theologicopolitical treatise susan james. It earned spinoza an enduring reputation as one of the most important and original thinkers of the seventeenth century. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Interest in scripture and the idea of bible science as positive science c.
The two books the notion that divinity could be read in the natural world the metaphor of the book of nature was most famously publicized by galileo himself. Baruch spinoza was no science hero the biggest myth so far in cosmos 3. He was trained in talmudic scholarship, but his views soon took unconventional directions which the jewish community fearing renewed persecution on charges of atheism tried to discourage. The best book for you will depend on your preferred learning style and the amount of time that you want to spend reading about spinoza. The law of god commands only the knowledge and love of god and the actions required for attaining that condition.
According to smith, spinoza s treatise represents a classic defense of religious toleration and intellectual freedom, showing them to be necessary foundations for political stability and liberal regimes. Based on three lectures delivered at the hebrew university of more. Rather, the contracts validity depends on a continuous and. Throughout philosophys history, some of its most prominent thinkers have drawn inspiration from sources outside of its canon. Logic, knowledge and religion ebook by richard mason. He combines machiavellis idea of liberty with hobbess version of the social contract. Spinoza s theologicopolitical treatise is simultaneously a work of philosophy and a piece of practical politics. Central to spinozas analysis of the jewish religionalthough it is applicable to any religion whatsoeveris the distinction between the divine law and the ceremonial law. How einstein reconciled religion to science facts so. Several remarks, including 3p9 and 4p8, make the point that self knowledgean especially valuable good for spinoza is not available to introspection. Spinozas philosophy encompasses nearly every area of philosophical discourse, including metaphysics, epistemology, political philosophy, ethics, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of science. The concrete presuppositions for the critique of theocracy e.
He shares with descartes an intensely mathematical appreciation of the universe. Spinozas theory of religion stabilized superstition ehud. Accessible book, philosophy, ethics, early works to 1800, protected daisy, philosophers, philosophy and religion, science, theory of knowledge, free thought, methodology, political. It has been reprinted in ideas and opinions, crown publishers, inc. Spinoza, liberalism, and the question of jewish identity. Totaro in the book the vatican manuscript of spinoza s ethica 2011.
Spinoza sought to unify mind and body, science and religion, and to derive an ethics of reason, virtue, and freedom in geometrical order from a monistic metaphysics. Feb 17, 2010 angel addresses many vital questionsthe relationship between science and religion, the nature of god, tradition and change, faith and reason, and the right way to read the torah. The series designates baruch spinoza 16321677 as the next greatest persecuted hero of science after giordano bruno as depicted in cosmos 2. Spinoza on philosophy, religion, and politics hardcover. But for most early modern scientists there were two sacred texts. Spinozas religion of reason, as goldstein evokes it, seeks to provide man with the only form of redemption which is truly available.
Logic, knowledge and religion by richard mason available from rakuten kobo. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the book of god. It also appears in einsteins book the world as i see it, philosophical library, new york, 1949, pp. Uncorrected paperswallace matson 4 excellent essays on spinoza start there. Looked at in this light, men like democritus, francis of assisi, and spinoza are closely akin to one another. It is of my opinion that one of these philosophers, spinoza, in the first book of his ethics, borrowed. The title of the work ethics underlines the book s main purpose. Spinoza, science, and the scientists oxford scholarship. Approaching the central themes of spinozas thought from both a historical and analytical perspective, this book examine. After watching these episodes, i have concluded that the most. Spinoza s philosophy encompasses nearly every area of philosophical discourse, including metaphysics, epistemology, political philosophy, ethics, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of science.
He made significant contributions in virtually every area of philosophy, and his writings reveal the influence of such divergent sources as stoicism, jewish rationalism, machiavelli, hobbes, descartes, and. Jan 10, 2019 this page contains a list of the best books on or by spinoza. Pdf the true religion and the philosophical god of spinoza. Politically, spinoza and hobbes again share assumptions about the social contract.
The seven best books on or by spinoza the daily idea. A treatise of human nature by david hume big think. So, as einstein would have it, there is no necessary conflict between science and religion or between science and religious feelings. In the book, strauss identified spinoza as part of the tradition of enlightenment rationalism that eventually produced modernity. Spinozas god, or nature, which equates the realm of the divine with the realm of the. His sacred text, he says of spinoza, was the book of nature.
In the event things got worse, and spinoza gave up the idea of publishing the ethics, believing that it would create such a cloud of hostility as to obscure, in the minds even of reasonable people, the real meaning of its arguments. It provides the most realistic concept of life after death, and the most solid basis for environmental ethics. Leo strauss dedicated his first book, spinoza s critique of religion, to an examination of the latters ideas. However, his ethics and generally his system of thought has certain similarities to that of the epicureans. Spinozas theory of religion stabilized superstition. Once its context is taken into account, however, it emerges as an integrated defence of philosophical, religious, and political freedom, firmly situated within the framework of spinozas philosophical system.
Leo strauss dedicated his first book, spinozas critique of religion, to an examination of the latters ideas. First, spinoza rejects hobbess view that the individual must alienate his natural rights to form a state through a contract. To write a book thats accessible to a wide audience, assuming no prior knowledge of judaism or medieval thought, that contributes new insights to the academic community, and constitutes an intellectual history of jewish thought from isaac israeli 832932 all the way to baruch spinoza 16321677, including an important backward glance to philo b. Pantheism was popularized in western culture as a theology and philosophy based on the work of the 17thcentury philosopher baruch spinoza, particularly his book ethics.
Spinoza was born in amsterdam in 1632, into a family of jewish emigrants fleeing persecution in portugal. The term pantheism was coined by mathematician joseph raphson in 1697 and has since been used to describe the beliefs of a variety of people and organizations. It fuses religion and science, and concern for humans with concern for nature. Evolution news has commented already, here, here, here, and here. Spinoza s remarks about consciousness in the ethics constitute two theories about conscious experience and knowledge. The title of the work ethics underlines the books main purpose. It defends religious pluralism, a republican form of political organisation, and the freedom to philosophise, with a determination that is extremely rare in seventeenthcentury thought. An 800page scholarly overview is unlikely to be best for someone looking for a short beginnerfriendly introduction, for example. In this study smith examines spinoza s solution to the jewish question and asks whether a judaism, so conceived, can long survive. Ethics, spinoza is pursuing the establishment of one unified book of nature and also of true religion a book of deus, sive natura, informed by the scienza nuova of galileo. Mar 20, 2020 although bruno was burned to death in 1600 for his religious not scientific views, the attempted murder of spinoza, if it occurred, was likely due to a disputed business transaction not science or religion.
It shows how pantheism has some similar thinking as ancient beliefs like buddhism to the more modern humanism, it makes sense with our current environmental issues and explains how it can be a suitable logical alternative to supernatural belief religion. This article argues that spinoza is a modern republican political philosopher. This book is the fruit of twentyfive years of study of spinoza by the editor and translator of a new and widely acclaimed edition of spinozas collected works. In the treatise, spinoza starkly criticizes the role of religion in politics and calls for a secular, democratic form of government. Insightful study of one of the great modern thinkers. The vatican manuscript of spinoza s ethica s u m m a r y the article focuses on spinoza s manuscript found in the vatican apostolic library and published by l. Einstein and religion also offers a badly needed critique of some of the many misinterpretations and misuses of einsteins views.
The following article by albert einstein appeared in the new york times magazine on november 9, 1930 pp 14. For cosmos to suggest that spinozas life was threatened because of science is just the beginning of an enormous misrepresentation. The new science shows the untenability of commonsense knowledge based on sense perception, and of the philosophicaltheological worldview so closely allied with this commonsense thinking. Spinoza s conception of the bible and bible science a. Strauss compares spinozas theologicopolitical treatise and the epistles, showing their relation to critical controversy on religion from epicurus and lucretius through uriel da costa and isaac peyrere to thomas hobbes. Scientific pantheism reveres the universe and nature. The third season of cosmos has released four episodes so far, with more to come this monday, on fox and the national geographic channel.
Jan, 2017 spinozas theory of religion stabilized superstition ehud benor january, 2017 february 22, 2018 editors philosophy of religion the best interpretations of spinozas philosophy would lead us to believe that, for spinoza, religion is superstition. Of all the philosophical systems of the seventeenth century it is his that speaks most deeply to the twentieth century. Brian gallagher is the editor of facts so romantic, the nautilus blog. It defends religious pluralism, a republican form of political organization, and the freedom to philosophize, with a determination that is extremely rare in seventeenthcentury thought. Professor jammer is a noted scholar, science historian, and philosopher with the credentials to write authoritatively on this subject. Right derives from power, and the contract binds only as long as it is to ones advantage. Moreover, he identifies spinoza and his works as the beginning of jewish modernity. Susan james offers an interpretation of a work that is itself about interpretation spinozas theologico. The science religion debate has been going on since science was born, centuries ago. Spinoza s life he belonged to the community of jews from spain and portugal who had fled the inquisition.
He is the author of many books, among them the political philosophy of hobbes, natural right and history, and spinozas critique of religion, all published by the university of chicago press. Giordano bruno was a martyr, yes, but not for science. So, as einstein would have it, there is no necessary conflict between science and religionor between science and religious feelings. On human nature clare carlisle we are not autonomous individuals but part of a greater whole, says spinoza, and there is no such thing as human free will. Download pdf spinoza on philosophy religion and politics. Spinoza s indifference to scripture, and his historical consciousness b.
Despite an early rabbinical education, he was expelled from the synagogue at amsterdam for defending heretical opinions in 1656. Though he denied any sort of personal god, he shared spinoza s faith in a superior intelligence that reveals itself in the beauty of nature. Elements of pantheism is a great wide reaching book. Let us spell out what, in spinoza s view, are the consequences of the new scientific view of nature. Leo strauss articulates the conflict between reason and revelation as he explores spinoza s scientific, comparative, and textual treatment of the bible. Baruch spinoza was no science hero discovery institute. In this book, spinoza argues that the way to blessedness or salvation for each person involves an. The important difference between the two men is their understanding of the. Susan james offers an interpretation of a work that is itself about interpretation spinoza s theologico.
Things make sense when understood in relation to a total structure. From 1949 to 1968 he was professor of political science at the university of chicago. Spinoza s god, or nature, which equates the realm of the divine with the realm of the. He is the author of many books, among them the political philosophy of hobbes, natural right and history, and spinoza s critique of religion, all published by the university of chicago press. The best interpretations of spinoza s philosophy would lead us to believe that, for spinoza, religion is superstition.
Anyone interested in spinoza, the dutch republic, or early modern philosophy would profit by reading it. Thus he sought to write a book of nature that would include the path to salvation5 as dictates of nature itself. Spinoza s philosophy is deductive, rational, and monist. Spinoza s general attitude to the claims of revealed. Spinoza on philosophy religion and politics download spinoza on philosophy religion and politics ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Click download or read online button to spinoza on philosophy religion and politics book pdf for free now. Furthermore, tyson attributes to spinoza a view of nature that he makes sound daringly novel. Strauss compares spinoza s theologicopolitical treatise and the epistles, showing their relation to critical controversy on religion from epicurus and lucretius through uriel da costa and isaac peyrere to thomas hobbes. It was in his much less wellknown book, the theologicalpolitical treatise spinoza published it anonymously in 1670 for fully justified fear of persecution in response to the critique of biblical faith that it put forth that he argued that toleration and government protection of liberty were imperatives of religion rightly understood. Thus a jarring transition in episode 1 of the new season leaps from the origin and growth of cities to free thinkers to you guessed it, giordano bruno. Baruch spinoza was born to portuguese jews living in exile in holland, but his life among the marranos there was often unsettled. Approaching the central themes of spinoza s thought from both a historical and analytical perspective, this book examines the logicalmetaphysical core of spinoza s philosophy, its epistemology and its ramifications for his much disputed attitude towards religion.