Nuggets of Wisdom from a Pantheist
In coming up with a system of thought, a philosopher establishing it must be consistent with his principle. As a result, this leads him to the extreme.
We have just taken up Baruch Spinoza from our History of Modern Philosophy. It is to his glory and shame that he brought the Cartesian Rationalism into the horrible terror of pantheism -- a philosophical doctrine which holds that God is in all things -- and determinsim.
Yet despite all these, I was so struck with some aspects of his philosophy. His ethics, in fact, resembles that of the Stoics. And these, though may held to be debatable, hold tremendous impact in how i view my life. These ideas are worth considering:
Well, of course, we don't take this absolutely. It is just so consoling to realize that God is present at this very instant. I could not just view God as somebody up there, just looking down at us. He is with us and journeys with us. This accounts for his presence.
We have just taken up Baruch Spinoza from our History of Modern Philosophy. It is to his glory and shame that he brought the Cartesian Rationalism into the horrible terror of pantheism -- a philosophical doctrine which holds that God is in all things -- and determinsim.
Yet despite all these, I was so struck with some aspects of his philosophy. His ethics, in fact, resembles that of the Stoics. And these, though may held to be debatable, hold tremendous impact in how i view my life. These ideas are worth considering:
- "We cannot control events, we can control our attitudes."
- "The mind has greater power over the emotions."
- "Spiritual unhealthiness can always be traced to our excessive love for something."
- "God is present in all things"
Well, of course, we don't take this absolutely. It is just so consoling to realize that God is present at this very instant. I could not just view God as somebody up there, just looking down at us. He is with us and journeys with us. This accounts for his presence.
