Spinoza’s God: The Mind-Blowing Philosophy That Inspired Einstein - Baruch Spinoza

[@susanflaherty1248]

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.

[@HiddenLibraryworld-j2r]

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.

[@jayholloway7874]

😅

[@ronalterman3130]

I had the same experience.

[@sdgsuperstar]

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.

[@sikandersalahuddin]

Great understanding

[@mrnibelheim]

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.

[@walterbraun3731]

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"...

[@mrnibelheim]

@@walterbraun3731 If you're enjoying the fight against nature, no problem.

[@Rojayzee]

@@walterbraun3731We can probably have both without destroying nature like we have. Long term consequences will be grave.

[@nathanthompson663]

Yeeeess!!! I have believed this all my life! I never heard anyone with the same idea.

[@TrevorLeggo]

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.

[@jamesgonsalves7081]

The concept was already in existence in ancient India known as Advaitvad ( Creation & Creator are ONE)

[@Newevolutionvideo]

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

[@uneedtherapy42]

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.

[@cht2162]

Acceptance is the key to all our problems.

[@samartman3395]

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🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@tomjiunta1580]

At 70 I am at the same conclusion. Read the Gita, the upanishads and the Buddhist darma. The truth lie therein.

[@devroombagchus7460]

?. What does this mean?

[@healthexcellenceconsulting]

Yes! ​@@tomjiunta1580

[@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.

[@kelleyrc5671]

I found Buddhism and Stoicism in the last 5 years and it has greatly improved my life

[@S_alva]

I being a follower of Advaita Philosophy, Spinoza's God resonates with me🙏

[@wayne00k]

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]

Wow they had excommunicated him

[@wayne00k]

@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.

[@nadiawheeler4772]

I’m inclined to agree with Mr Spinoza. Freedom to be a part of the whole

[@dlightfoot]

Pretty sure Spinoza & Lao Tsu would've been great mates.

[@ianphillips898]

Totally with you. Too big a philosophical leap for most Westerners to take however.

[@noname-ll2vk]

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]

I was thinking the exact same thing. I wonder if Spinoza had access to his teachings.

[@noname-ll2vk]

@@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.

[@hmimsamatthias]

great males?.... 😉🙏

[@davidmctague8060]

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.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Thank you and glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶

[@alwaysgreatusa223]

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.

[@lv4077]

@@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.

[@alwaysgreatusa223]

@@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.

[@lv4077]

@@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”.

[@LaurenceMartinSask]

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.

[@0verkilled]

This was explored and explained at length in Vedas 3000 years ago, of course Spinoza has given his flavour which I totally agree.

[@marshallmkerr]

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]

[@robertthomas2673]

@@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”.

[@basvoer-qp7qw]

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.

[@0verkilled]

@@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)

[@frankmalinaro9700]

@@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 .

[@sylviaowega3839]

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.

[@shivmalu1]

Loved it. As a sanatani, i find it in absolute congruence with Vedanta and upanishads

[@kelleyrc5671]

Wow! He was way ahead of his time. Thanks 😊

[@casperharlet]

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.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Really glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶

[@daleenjacobs5597]

Fantastic. Thank you. Watching from South-Africa

[@joestitz239]

cool :) I'm in michigan usa.

[@idicula1979]

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.

[@chiraki2000]

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!!

[@mariadegan1029]

Turns out Spinoza was right👍we are ALL connected, God is EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE!! He was well before our “awakening “ a true genius.

[@davidwilkie9551]

A Spinoza type critique of your comment might be that a mind in body emulation of Actuality in evidence is that it is ancient knowledge that mind is eternal, embodiment condenses in overlapping cycles of educational pulse-evolution, so to first address the Lord in/of God by the Observable materialisation of relative-timing resonance superposition as authority, is to distract from the natural Lord of actual influence we think of as Spinoza type Sciencing Re-search practices, ie Math-Physics measure principles are the navigational directions to philosophical zones of inquiry. (God-bothering is a reverse-inverted truth of conscience, ie not an avisable treatment of symptoms..?)

[@janaleland9038]

Au contraire! I don't believe il duce minus45 (djt) is homosapien. Period. And, I'm in noooooo way connected to him.

[@docjaramillo]

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.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Sounds really interesting, will definitely give it a go!!

[@noname-ll2vk]

Gilles Deleuze's Spinoza is excellent. One of the best surveys from a guy who got it. And it's fairly short.

[@isamkamel]

Baruch Spinoza's ideas of the unity of existence originated in Ibn-Arabi's philosophy 1165-1240 in Andalusiens/Spain

[@docjaramillo]

@@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.

[@Orion225]

Thanks

[@nomadicroadrat]

Was channeling Spinoza during a shroom trip a decade or so ago.. Have been channeling him ever since.

[@OceanPacific111]

Not radical ideas, but ideas of truth deemed by others to be radical. Thank you.

[@thornsaresharp]

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'

[@johnnythorn4847]

Timely inspiration in our smart phone era of Trumpet

[@vannigio6234]

Spinoza the Best!❤️‍🔥👍❤️‍🔥

[@Nicolas-S-Brown]

DEFINITION OF FREE WILL: the gift of being able to interpret Spinoza, this video, and its comments in any way you choose.

[@brandonwalker2178]

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.

[@LauraStone-b7i]

well said

[@philosophyforum4668]

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.

[@namenlos2578]

Well, first you should define what "free" means in this context. "Free" from what?

[@Nicolas-S-Brown]

@@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.

[@strollingthroughparadise353]

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!

[@TrueSageJourney]

Really glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶

[@MrRevel1]

God does not punish. What some people see as being punished by God is the result of our actions.

[@tricky778]

Interestingly, if god punishes us for our actions then it must be a consequence of our actions that he is moved to punish us. That requires that OUR actions modify him and he is not omnipotent, being subject to the effect of our actions.

[@user-premasai999]

Yassen: The point is there are no Other deities, the is no other, there is no separation, only One and you are THAT.

[@268TERI]

I AM THAT I AM or just AM

[@nvraman]

Om Tat Sat Tatwam Asi

[@TheJamaican777]

This concept of god makes the most sense to me

[@joestitz239]

all mystery is part of God's glory.

[@sarahmiller5632]

Very interesting. I totally agree with Spinoza

[@vaneast411]

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

[@TrueSageJourney]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🫶

[@pennymacintosh8924]

Good and evil came from the SAME ROOT...❤

[@kaarlimakela3413]

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.

[@Sacred-Profane]

It’s all about Love

[@rajanpradhan1399]

Purusha and Prakriti in Vedanta

[@beverlybelcher3423]

Thank you for this wonderful video. So inspirational.

[@nathanthompson663]

Wow I agree with this man.

[@exxzxxe]

Very well done video. A proper mix of background information about Spinoza's life and his ideas.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🫶

[@artiefount]

C. S. Lewis wrote “If there were nothing to begin with, there would be nothing still.” Implying that reason doesn’t explain it all. He also wrote that study of nature, physics and all, amounts to observing the process of Humpty Dumpty falling off a wall. No one can explain how Humpty got there, and no one knows where or when he will land.

[@DanJacobsen-tq3th]

Very informative video, well done, nice and clear speak - love your work. ... And Spinoza is speaking louder than ever!

[@humboldthammer]

I don't think I have ever read Spinoza. But, on my own, I arrived at a similar conclusion. Of course, I now recognize Spinoza's influence on other Thinkers, who have influenced me. I expect a great awakening, but only for a few -- about 7% of people -- in THIS Generation. WE have been tasked with the progressive perfection of Mankind -- God's composite of unique individuals with ascension promise. I expect that to take us much longer, perhaps 6,488 years longer.

[@tedhamilton481]

Thanks for this program on Spinoza.

[@jamesfullwood7788]

Excellent video, thanks!

[@livondiramerian6999]

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.

[@Rojayzee]

How many people in history would’ve benefited from that lesson. 😢

[@nvraman]

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.

[@michaelstearnes1526]

Durant's book is still the best general introduction to the history of philosophy. I also recommend Karl Jaspers two volume history.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Sounds interesting, will definitely give it a go!!

[@BuleriaChk]

"I'm going to live forever; so far, so good!" But Mother Nature is still trying to track me down....

[@cutl00senc]

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.

[@robertlennon8138]

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.

[@TrueSageJourney]

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?

[@pauljessome5718]

We all cling to something. Order , please

[@deanrao4805]

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.

[@RonaldPetrin]

Understanding our nature as one whole one heart. One order ethics truth rationality using reason to understand ourselves. Rid of fear not be trapped causes of our ails and the natural-laws that govern them. We need to manage our place in harmony with nature, not against it..

[@Kianquenseda]

Non duality for the win !

[@jaspernewcomb5656]

The invisible hand that guides all Creation.

[@LarryMarquardt]

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.

[@DiscoDocNaughtyTherapistReacts]

Really enjoyed this, thank you.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🫶

[@ericdumont610]

Nice explanation ❤

[@TrueSageJourney]

Glad you liked it 🫶

[@micheldisclafani2343]

Any man that tries to explain God in human words, even the most intelligent, shows a hidden ambition of superiority. The mystery is total . Animals in their totality obey and live the right life. We should learn from them, showing this way respect to God's mystery and wisdom to men, how to live without wars.

[@whocareswhoami7278]

Spinoza's God is similar to the Brahman of Adwaita Vedanta, as elaborated in the Upanishads of Hindus.

[@TrueSageJourney]

I have to say, I’m not familiar with Eastern thought or religion but I definitely want to learn more about it.. any books/sources you recommend??

[@richardburger3350]

It appears that Spinoza was a Mystic. He must have had some enlightening experience.

[@davidnickell9381]

Thank you for this.

[@dp0004]

Change invokes resistance. Nature cannot be altered. Beliefs can. Development that can go down generations.

[@humptyslick]

We'll spend 3 more generations coming to terms with how much damage believing unsubstantiated non sense caused. Eventually the word belief will become obsolete in our lexicons, many words will. Minds will be free and empty of what drove them insane today, instead filled with creativity and joy beyond belief.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Really well said!!

[@dennyworthington6641]

Everything is one. The universe is simply energy in constant flux taking different forms. Pantheism: the one true "religion."

[@rk41gator]

Peter Gabriel could be a reincarnation of Spinoza. 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" lyrics point towards Spinoza's philosophies.

[@TonyWeesner-ok2pp]

@@rk41gator Some of the best music for sure Peter Gabriel awesome.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Sounds interesting, will check it out

[@rk41gator]

@@TrueSageJourney It is a very dense, strange, and cryptic lyric. The storyline is bizarre if taken literally. I feel it is a collection of metaphors leading towards enlightenment. Peter said it is an allegory similar to Pilgrim's Progress. If so, 'The Lamb' is a humanistic allegory, not a religious one. Gabriel loved to use religious symbolism in addition to often borrowing historical references and Greek myth in his music. A fascinating artist, as was the Genesis band.

[@lv4077]

All this “oneness” with nature concept sounds appealing,too bad life in our world isn’t playing Spinoza’s game.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Good point

[@heinzgassner1057]

Please don’t call Baruch Spinoza a ‘philosopher’. Baruch Spinoza was a true mystic, a man who went far beyond being a ‘thinker’. ‘Good or Nature’ is NOT simply ‘equating good with nature’. This needs to be understood in the context, Spinoza has explained this in his Ethics. ‘Natura Naturata’ cannot be seen in isolation of ‘Natura Naturans’ and ‘substance’. Spinoza was NOT a ‘Pantheist’ nor a ‘Panpsychist’, nor was he a ‘Philosopher’. Baruch Spinoza was a European non-dualist, a mystic, who deserves to be understood in that context.

[@heinzgassner1057]

Sorry about the typos: God, not Good, of course !

[@OldCharlie-hg6io]

Thanks, I didn’t know if you or the video had it right.

[@shivmalu1]

❤

[@sivadasantp654]

I thought so, the views are very non-dualistic. A great soul indeex. thank you sir

[@TrueSageJourney]

You have a point, now that I think about it 🤔

[@alfredorezende580]

do not mistake atheist with the one who sees the presence of God in everything in Nature using symbolic thought.

[@Wickgirl65]

Exactly, that’s what I feel!

[@morganlake41632]

Fascinating that such a smart guy made it through his life without noticing synchronicities - and how they break causation and logic - if you know statistics - logic shows these are nearly impossible. Anger is there to protect us. Jealousy is a mystery to me. I've dont know how it feels. Ethical living is rule based, true morality is values based. We need stand on Spinoza's shoulders and move forward.

[@michaeldillon3113]

Quantum physics is now giving good scientific bases for the ancient philosophy -religion AdvaitaVedanta. Spinoza is pretty close to Advaita Vedanta . E=🕉️

[@crazyplantlady7985]

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.

[@Nicho2020]

Spinoza challenged a tyrannical form of religion. We should all do that!

[@geraldinetaeckens5873]

Wow, what a reassuring and beautiful video especially at this time of the American election. This is not a philosophy it is just simply the truth for me. The one can get it at some level intellectually, it works best when it is embodied. It matches a teaching program that I have been involved with for 14 years called, awakening to presence. Like the teaching of the Buddha, resisting what is is where pain shows up. Sadness, grief, anger, rage are only painful if they are not able to be expressed through wisdom. Likewise, thinking that something should or shouldn’t be causes many emotions that would not necessarily be there if what is is embraced. Anyway, this was just so heartwarming. I have subscribed to your channel wanna hear more. 15:41

[@garybowings1538]

Who did you vote for in the elections held in your country? Waiting.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶

[@bobtarmac1828]

Bravo!!! ❤

[@elkiness]

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?

[@noname-ll2vk]

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.

[@elkiness]

@@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.

[@pennymacintosh8924]

God IS THAT ANCIENT ENERGY ❤️ Energy can't be created or destroyed...nothing is separate from Father/God...❤

[@wyverstone7657]

Personalizing God’s Sex?

[@268TERI]

IN the Unity Church God is referred to as Mother/Father God. Has a better ring.

[@nvraman]

There is no Father. It's human fallibility that shrouds our hearts.

[@artiefount]

@@wyverstone7657The image and sense of father is of a ruling figure, the laws that nature must ‘obey’. The mother or feminine nature is the flow, the stream of phenomena. It works beautifully in my mind and heart, as it has served the human race generally for untold ages with little divergence.

[@wyverstone7657]

@@artiefount yes, I’m familiar with romantic notions of “fatherhood”. I’m also familiar with matriarchal societies that are quite different. However, I would ask the same question to those who see God as a mother/ nurturing figure. You see God the way you see God. I can’t tell anyone how to see God. Many of us come up from different religious traditions. I’m not questioning your reason, I’m just interested in understanding it on a deeper level. Thanks for your reply.

[@jeffatwood9417]

This is not new with Spinoza…he just gave a modern expression of ancient religious philosophies

[@istanbulludiyojen]

Great essay (video). I will be waiting on your work on stoicism if you are considering it.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Glad you liked it … yes, I will definitely do it at one point!

[@randalagunas1593]

Mother nature exists on ethics

[@randalagunas1593]

Our nature is epigenetic

[@ToscanaEuropa]

Nietzsche called him «den reinsten Weisen».

[@raphlasne]

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.

[@shaunfurlong-cultivatingsp4793]

Nicely done. Thank you.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶

[@haroldozaeta3614]

Thanks ❤

[@Michel-r6m]

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).

[@RichardJames-ur5vi]

Beautiful thank you.

[@TrueSageJourney]

Glad you enjoyed it!! 🫶

[@AndyRobust]

I'm scrutinising this carefully to answer the question "Is this basically the same as naturalistic atheism, except that the philosopher has yet to shed the habit of using the word 'God'?" We find in this video a belief that nothing exists beyond natural laws - which leads to the question "why call it God? Isn't that likely to be confusing?" It's perhaps understandable, given the author's upbringing, that he should not quite go that one extra step - but we who are dissecting this philosophy ought to perhaps take that extra step. One could imagine alternative hypotheses - such as "God foresaw what rules would lead to complex life, and he sacrificed himself to become the Universe". In that formulation, there is no current intent in the universe - though there would be prior intent.

[@Nicolas-S-Brown]

Naturalistic atheism leaves one question unanswered: what creates and sustains natural laws?

[@wayneandrews1022]

Taken a step further, the term God is not really confusing at all, just unnecessary.

[@sivadasantp654]

Never heard of him before. Thanks to TRUE SAGE. Goos to know about this great sage.

[@TrueSageJourney]

That’s what this channel is all about .. different perspectives, different opinions and a chance for us all to gain more wisdom and be better humans 🫶

[@pongo30]

Spinoza’s views may be heretical to European religions, but study of nature (animism) has been core to eastern religions. Guess he must have read the Vedas. This has been mainstream knowledge in east for three thousand years.

[@pongo30]

Welcome to Advaita Vedanta, widely practiced today with deep scriptural backing for thousands of years.

[@tricky778]

God is defined as personal. To say that god is impersonal, manifest in the laws of nature is just to be an atheist and to redefine the word to refer to something different so you can speak about natural philosphy without incurring the wrath of one's fascist, i mean, religious neighbours.

[@Naidu-k8m]

If a scientist can say he believes in a god, any god, it means that person had been brought up religiously. Which would then make them have beliefs that make science have a major imbalance in their minds.

[@Soulartist13]

Well-presented and intriguing. As the maharishi mahesh yogi observed: Understanding is the booby prize.

[@salvatorelicata8768]

There also is Devine interaction and God is personal as well. God is both sides of the coin, the coin itself and the invisible Sud atomic and atomic time and space the coin exists in along with the individual looking the coin. Tune in and you will see. Be still and know that I am God... Tada!

[@patrickmccartney2418]

This is hilarious when compared to the way things are today.

[@RajMathur-u9j]

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

[@randalagunas1593]

Change the words, of the old biblical book from God to Mother nature...survival of our universe

[@raz23raz]

Great video 👍

[@TrueSageJourney]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🫶