An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thinkers from Spinoza to Soloveitchik 2Nd Edition Pdf, Epub, Ebook
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Baruch Spinoza
Baruch Spinoza Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) Baruch Spinoza was one of the great philosophers of the age of Rationalism and a major influence thereafter, as on, paradoxically, both of the bitter enemies Arthur Schopenhauer and G.W. F. Hegel. From a Portuguese Jewish family that had fled to the relative tolerance of the Netherlands, one of the most famous things about Spinoza was his expulsion from the Dutch Jewish community. This is often called an "excommunication," though, as I used to have a high school teacher protest, there is really no such thing as "excommunication" in Judaism. Nevertheless, Spinoza was expelled from the Jewish community and anathematized. Although he is today recognized as one of the greatest Jewish philosophers ever, and the chief Rabbis of Israel have been petitioned to formally lift the curse upon him, this has not happened: Spinoza remains a controversial person in Judaism, for very much the same reasons that led to his expulsion in the first place. Spinoza's God is not the God of Abraham and Isaac, not a personal God at all, and his system provides no reason for the revelatory status of the Bible or the practice of Judaism, or of any religion, for that matter. Spinoza's alienation from his community is reflected in an alternative version of his name. "Baruch" in Hebrew (bârûkh) means "Blessed"; but Spinoza began using the name "Benedict," which in Latin (Benedictus) would mean "spoken well of" or "praised." This reflects the circumstance that Spinoza, with whom Jews were forbidden to associate, inevitably found friendship with Christians instead. -
Nietzsche's Naturalism As a Critique of Morality and Freedom
NIETZSCHE’S NATURALISM AS A CRITIQUE OF MORALITY AND FREEDOM A thesis submitted to Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Nathan W. Radcliffe December, 2012 Thesis written by Nathan W. Radcliffe B.S., University of Akron, 1998 M.A., Kent State University, 2012 Approved by Gene Pendleton____________________________________, Advisor David Odell‐Scott___________________________________, Chair, Department of Philosophy Raymond Craig_____________________________________, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................................................v INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTERS I. NIETZSCHE’S NATURALISM AND ITS INFLUENCES....................................................... 8 1.1 Nietzsche’s Speculative‐Methodological Naturalism............................................ 8 1.2 Nietzsche’s Opposition to Materialism ............................................................... 15 1.3 The German Materialist Influence on Nietzsche................................................. 19 1.4 The Influence of Lange on Nietzsche .................................................................. 22 1.5 Nietzsche’s Break with Kant and Its Aftermath................................................... 25 1.6 Influences on Nietzsche’s Fatalism (Schopenhauer and Spinoza) -
Atheistic and Christian Existentialism: a Comparison of Sartre and Marcel Thomas C
Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications Philosophy, Department of 8-1-2010 Atheistic and Christian Existentialism: A Comparison of Sartre and Marcel Thomas C. Anderson Marquette University, [email protected] Accepted version. "Atheistic and Christian Existentialism: A Comparison of Sartre and Marcel," in New Perspectives in Sartre. Eds. Adrian Mirvish and Adrian van den Hoven. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010: 44-63. Publisher link, © 2010 Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Used with permission. NOT THE PUBLISHED VERSION; this is the author’s final, peer-reviewed manuscript. The published version may be accessed by following the link in the citation at the bottom of the page. Atheistic and Christian Existentialism: A Comparison of Sartre and Marcel Thomas C. Anderson Department of Philosophy, Marquette University Milwaukee, WI In Existentialism and Humanism Jean-Paul Sartre states that there are “two kinds of existentialists,” the atheistic, in which he includes himself, and the Christian, among whom he includes his fellow countryman Gabriel Marcel.1 Needless to say, these two existentialists significantly disagree on many things and yet, surprisingly, they also have notable areas of agreement, as we shall see. The purpose of this paper is to compare the views of the two men on a number of important philosophical issues. My comparison is aided by the fact that Sartre and Marcel knew each other personally and occasionally directly commented in writing on each other’s ideas. First, some information about their history and personal relationship. Both men were born, Marcel in 1889, Sartre in 1905, and for the most part lived and wrote in Paris. -
Emerson's Hidden Influence: What Can Spinoza Tell the Boy?
Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Philosophy Honors Theses Department of Philosophy 6-15-2007 Emerson's Hidden Influence: What Can Spinoza Tell the Boy? Adam Adler Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/philosophy_hontheses Recommended Citation Adler, Adam, "Emerson's Hidden Influence: What Can Spinoza Tell the Boy?." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2007. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/philosophy_hontheses/2 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Philosophy at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Philosophy Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EMERSON’S HIDDEN INFLUENCE: WHAT CAN SPINOZA TELL THE BOY? by ADAM ADLER Under the Direction of Reiner Smolinski and Melissa Merritt ABSTRACT Scholarship on Emerson to date has not considered Spinoza’s influence upon his thought. Indeed, from his lifetime until the twentieth century, Emerson’s friends and disciples engaged in a concerted cover-up because of Spinoza’s hated name. However, Emerson mentioned his respect and admiration of Spinoza in his journals, letters, lectures, and essays, and Emerson’s thought clearly shows an importation of ideas central to Spinoza’s system of metaphysics, ethics, and biblical hermeneutics. In this essay, I undertake a biographical and philosophical study in order to show the extent of Spinoza’s influence on Emerson and -
Spinoza's Ethics Beth Lord
EDINBURGH PHILOSOPHICAL GUIDES Spinoza's Ethics Beth Lord Spinoza’s Ethics Edinburgh Philosophical Guides Series Titles in the series include: Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason Douglas Burnham with Harvey Young Derrida’s Of Grammatology Arthur Bradley Heidegger’s Being and Time William Large Plato’s Republic D. J. Sheppard Spinoza’s Ethics Beth Lord Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy Kurt Brandhorst Husserl’s The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology Katrin Joost Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra Martin Jesinghausen and Douglas Burnham Spinoza’s Ethics An Edinburgh Philosophical Guide Beth Lord Edinburgh University Press © Beth Lord, 2010 Edinburgh University Press Ltd 22 George Square, Edinburgh www.euppublishing.com Typeset in 11/13pt Monotype Baskerville by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire, and printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham and Eastbourne A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 0 7486 3449 1 (hardback) ISBN 978 0 7486 3450 7 (paperback) The right of Beth Lord to be identifi ed as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Contents Series Editor’s Preface vi Acknowledgements vii List of Figures viii Introduction 1 1. A Guide to the Text 15 Part I: Being, Substance, God, Nature 15 Part II: Minds, Bodies, Experience and Knowledge 49 Part III: The Affects 83 Part IV: Virtue, Ethics and Politics 103 Part V: Freedom and Eternity 136 2. Study Aids 159 Glossary 159 Further Reading 167 Types of Question you will Encounter 168 Tips for Writing about Spinoza 169 Bibliography 173 Index 179 Series Editor’s Preface To us, the principle of this series of books is clear and simple: what readers new to philosophical classics need fi rst and foremost is help with reading these key texts. -
In Nature and in God: Spinoza and Blessedness
In Nature and In God: Spinoza and Blessedness By Erin Islo Submitted respectfully as partial fulfillment of the requirements for receiving the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at Haverford College Ben Allen, first reader Danielle Macbeth, second reader April 20th, 2012 I must thank Dr. Ben Allen, who bore with me through the labor pains of this endeavor, Dr. Danielle Macbeth, and Dr. Dan Garber, who first inspired my love of philosophy and supported me through many frustrations, for any worthwhile part of this project; the deprivation of their guidance would have been a severe detriment to this paper. Their incisive questions and persistent demands for deeper and broader thinking are as much to credit for this project as my own efforts. Any error or heresy is my own and is no reflection of their influence. I have much gratitude as well for the help and criticism of Jo Van Cauter, who initially challenged me to reconsider Spinoza’s true project, and for Chuck and Maureen Cline and their family, who exemplify blessedness more than anyone else I have ever encountered. I dedicate this work in memory of Spinoza himself, to he who has produced a work that will haunt me for the rest of my waking life – though may the eternal life of the Mind save me from further torment. 2 Abstract This paper considers the Ethics of Baruch Spinoza through three of the most important concepts presented in the work: essence, knowledge, and blessedness. By thoroughly exploring and re- examining these concepts and the role they play in Spinoza’s ethical project, it becomes clear that it is knowledge of the essences of singular things that is key to the life of blessedness. -
Temporality and History in Spinoza: the Refusal of Teleological Thought’, in Materialism and Politics, Ed
https://doi.org/10.37050/ci-20_03 ERICKA MARIE ITOKAZU Temporality and History in Spinoza The Refusal of Teleological Thought CITE AS: Ericka Marie Itokazu, ‘Temporality and History in Spinoza: The Refusal of Teleological Thought’, in Materialism and Politics, ed. by Bernardo Bianchi, Emilie Filion-Donato, Marlon Miguel, and Ayşe Yuva, Cultural Inquiry, 20 (Berlin: ICI Berlin Press, 2021), pp. 55–72 <https://doi.org/10.37050/ci-20_03> RIGHTS STATEMENT: Materialism and Politics, ed. by Bernardo Bi- anchi, Emilie Filion-Donato, Marlon Miguel, and Ayşe Yuva, Cultural Inquiry, 20 (Berlin: ICI Berlin Press, 2021), pp. 55–72 © by the author(s) Except for images or otherwise noted, this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Interna- tional License. ABSTRACT: Spinoza’s philosophy is often characterized as a philosophy sub specie aeternitatis where time and temporality are notions without an expressive role. Consequently, understanding human history by means of the Ethics — using geometric demonstrations supported by metaphysical terms — and without the aid of the notion of time, can be considered as leading to an unsolvable problem. In this chapter, I draw upon Spinoza’s refusal of finalism to propose a renewed investigation about Spinozism and the issue of temporality, asking the question: could the absence of time in Spinoza’s work and his writings on effi- cient and immanent causality allow us to rethink a theory of history? KEYWORDS: finalism; causality; history; time; duration; Spinoza, Baruch The ICI Berlin Repository is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the dissemination of scientific research documents related to the ICI Berlin, whether they are originally published by ICI Berlin or elsewhere. -
The Pantheism of Goethe in Its Relation to That of Spinoza
University of Iowa Iowa Research Online Theses and Dissertations 1918 The pantheism of Goethe in its relation to that of Spinoza Hans Naether State University of Iowa Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd This work has been identified with a Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0. Material in the public domain. No restrictions on use. This thesis is available at Iowa Research Online: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/4084 Recommended Citation Naether, Hans. "The pantheism of Goethe in its relation to that of Spinoza." MA (Master of Arts) thesis, State University of Iowa, 1918. https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.xi8mcgqv Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd THE PANTHEISM OF GOETHE IN ITS RELATION TO THAT OF SPINOZA. A THESIS submitted to The Faculty of the Graduate College of the State University of Iowa in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS by Hans Naether. State University of Iowa 1918. TABLE Of CONTENTS. Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION. 1-8. Chapter 2. MARKED INFLUENCES IN THE 'DEVELOPMENT OF GOETHE ’s THOUGHT. 4-13. Chapter 8. WHAT IS PANTHEISM? 14-16. ! Chapter 4. THE PANTHEISM OF GO^TBE.c"' 19-25. Chapter 5. DID SFIN07A TEACH AN IMMANENT GOD? 26-29. Chapter 6. THE RELATION OE GOETHE. TO SPIN02A . 80-47. Chapter 7. GOETHE’S C M CONCEPTION OE GOD. 46-55. Chapter 8. GCETHE.'S PHILO POPE'S IN FAUST. 46-72. Chapter S. GOETHE’S 'APPROACH TO THEISM. 73—j—96. 1. THE PANTHEISM OE GOETHE IN ITS RELATION TO THAT 0? SPINOZA. -
Spinoza's Methodology: a Genetic Account of Fundamental Concepts in His Early Writings
University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Philosophy Philosophy 2021 Spinoza's Methodology: A Genetic Account of Fundamental Concepts in His Early Writings Clay Graham University of Kentucky, [email protected] Author ORCID Identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6479-8945 Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2021.186 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Graham, Clay, "Spinoza's Methodology: A Genetic Account of Fundamental Concepts in His Early Writings" (2021). Theses and Dissertations--Philosophy. 30. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/philosophy_etds/30 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Philosophy at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Philosophy by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. -
Substance, Causation and Free Will in Spinoza and Leibniz
6x9:Layout 1 8/21/2008 2:00 PM Page 17 a0rxh/ Substance, Causation and Free Will in Spinoza and Leibniz ROSS WOLFE Pennsylvania State University In Western monotheism, it is believed that God possesses all of man’s moral features in their perfection—that indeed man was created in His1 (spiritual) image. It follows from this doctrine that He possesses a perfect will, which guides the fates of men and the material flow of reality. This divine attribute is usually referred to as Providence. Much energy has been devoted through the ages to reconciling our own claim to free will as humans with this transcendent will of God. But a more fundamental question remains to be asked, if one considers the logical intricacies this notion. For how can it be logically consistent that God’s determinations are freely chosen, if every one of these choices can be traced back to prior causes that themselves demand that certain necessary effects result? If one were to pursue the logic of this proposition back to its strictest foundation (the causa sui), he would be forced to conclude that there was never any point at which a deviation could have occurred, where different possibilities might have emerged. The conception of God as acting freely according to His will would thus seem fundamentally flawed in this system of causation. This apparent contradiction was the occasion of a major controversy at the close of the seventeenth century. The iconic philosophers Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Wil- helm Leibniz stood at opposite poles in this debate. The former’s final treatise, The Ethics, lays forth the provocative assertion that God lacks free will. -
Spinoza, Schopenhauer and the Standpoint of Affirmation
Spinoza, Schopenhauer and the Standpoint of Affirmation BELA EGYED Spinoza’s influence on German Idealism was remarkable. He was both a challenge and inspiration for the three major figures of this movement. 1 Hegel, Schelling and Fichte all sought to define their own philosophical positions in relation to his. Schopenhauer, who despised these three philosophers to varying degrees of intensity (his vicious attacks on Hegel stand out), also had a similarly ambivalent relation to the sage of Amsterdam. How Spinoza came to influence Schopenhauer is not clear, but one might speculate. It could have come from his exposure to Fichte’s lectures, from his conversations with Goethe or simply from being caught up in the post- Kantian attempt to rethink the Critical Philosophy. Still, his preoccupation with Spinozism is evident throughout his writings. Readers of his oeuvre cannot fail to note his ambivalence toward Spinoza’s philosophy. He sees in Spinoza an ally against the feverish culture of the West. For example, in speaking about Spinoza and Giordano Bruno, Schopenhauer comments that: They do not belong either to their age or to their part of the globe, which rewarded the one with death, and the other with persecution and ignominy. Their miserable existence and death in this Western world are like that of a tropical plant in Europe. The banks of the Ganges were their spiritual home; there they would have led a peaceful and honoured life among men of like mind ( World I 422, n. 2). Given Schopenhauer’s respect for Hindu philosophy, comments like these indicate that he too felt intellectual kinship with Spinoza. -
Nietzsche's Theory of the Will
Philosophers’ , . that Nietzsche has provocative views about the I mprint nature of the will and free will. It is less often appreciated that I his views on these topics have considerable merit. Nietzsche not only anticipates and lends argumentative support to the new wave of non-libertarian incompatibilism defended by philosophers like Derk Pereboom () and Galen Strawson () — the view that free will is incompatible with “determinism” and that there is no credible ac- count of free will as outside the causal order in the ong — but his Nietzsche’s Theory theory of the will also wins some support from recent work on the will in empirical psychology (see Wegner ). As a philosophical naturalist, Nietzsche thought of his theoretical endeavors as proceed- ing in tandem with empirical inquiry (Leiter : –). As befits his of the Will self-designation as “the first psychologist”, it turns out that Nietzsche anticipated results that psychologists only arrived at a century later. In section of Daybreak, Nietzsche sets out the primary issues that shall occupy us here in trying to understand his theory of the will. Nietzsche writes: We laugh at him who steps out of his room at the mo- ment when the sun steps out of its room, and then says: “I will that the sun shall rise”; and at him who cannot stop a . In discussing Nietzsche’s “theory of the will”, I am concerned with the notion Brian Leiter of “will” familiar from general philosophy of action, both contemporary and historical, namely, the idea of a human faculty, whatever its precise character, that stands in some kind of necessary relationship with action.