Spinoza, Locke, & Reid-LHP 13-14. Rec: FL 15-16. HWT 16-17....
SEP 24
- Spinoza - #H1 Christian; #H2 Aidan Taylor; #H3 Evan B.
- Something in FL 15-16 or HWT 16-17 - #H2 Maria Lassiter
- Something in QE Part II - Is Democracy Possible - #H3 Floris O.
LHP
1. Spinoza's view, that God and nature (or the universe) are the same thing, is called _______. What do you think of that view?
2. If god is _____, there cannot be anything that is not god; if _____, god is indifferent to human beings. Is that how you think about god?
3. Spinoza was a determinist, holding that _____ is an illusion. Do you think it is possible (and consistent) to choose to be a determinist?
4. According to John Locke, all our knowledge comes from _____; hence, the mind of a newborn is a ______. If Locke's right, what do you think accounts for our ability to learn from our experiences?
5. Locke said _____ continuity establishes personal identity (bodily, psychological); Thomas Reid said identity relies on ______ memories, not total recall. How do you think you know that you're the same person now that you were at age 3 (for example)? If you forget much of your earlier life in old age, what reassures you that you'll still be you?
2. If god is _____, there cannot be anything that is not god; if _____, god is indifferent to human beings. Is that how you think about god?
3. Spinoza was a determinist, holding that _____ is an illusion. Do you think it is possible (and consistent) to choose to be a determinist?
4. According to John Locke, all our knowledge comes from _____; hence, the mind of a newborn is a ______. If Locke's right, what do you think accounts for our ability to learn from our experiences?
5. Locke said _____ continuity establishes personal identity (bodily, psychological); Thomas Reid said identity relies on ______ memories, not total recall. How do you think you know that you're the same person now that you were at age 3 (for example)? If you forget much of your earlier life in old age, what reassures you that you'll still be you?
6. Locke's articulation of what natural rights influenced the U.S. Constitution? Do you think it matters if we say such rights are discovered rather than invented?
HWT
1. What are atman and anatta, and what classical western idea do they both contradict?
2. What was John Locke's concept of self or soul? What makes you you?
3. Shunning rigid essentialized identities, younger people increasingly believe what?
4. What cultural stereotype did Baggini find inaccurate when he went to Japan?
5. What important distinction did Nishida Kitaro draw?
6. What point about individuality did Monty Python make?
7. What is ubuntu?
1. Who wrote a memoir of life on the Kentucky frontier that turned him into a "real-life superhero"? (He's in my family tree, btw.)
2. Who built a cabin by a lake, moved in on the 4th of July, and epitomized a perennial American pastoral fantasy? What do you think he'd say about modern suburbia?
3. What did The New York Sun announce in a week-long "news" story in 1835? Who believed it?
4. Who was P.T. Barnum, and what was his fundamental Fantasyland mindset?
5. Whose touring play marked what key milestone in America's national evolution?
6. Who was Aunt Jemima?
Irvin Yalom's novel The Spinoza Problem suggests that Epicurus's view of the gods as real but distant was "bold, but not foolhardy"... and that it presaged Spinoza's pantheism.
"I believe in Spinoza's God..." --Albert Einstein, as reported in the New York Times April 1929...
Spinoza the pantheist: "he believed that he believed"...
"Perhaps the most famous self-proclaimed disciple of Spinoza in the twentieth century was Einstein, who, when asked by a rabbi whether or not he believed in God, replied, "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the harmony of all being, not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and actions of men." Einstein was probably just being diplomatic when he answered the rabbi. Spinoza's God is, after all, a convenient deity for those who might more accurately be described as non-religious. The "religion" of Spinozism is in fact rather close to modern secularism. It insists that morality has nothing to do with the commands of a supremely powerful being, and that it does not require a priesthood or the threat of an unpleasant afterlife to sustain it. It rejects the idea of a personal God who created, cares about and occasionally even tinkers with the world. It dismisses the notion of the supernatural, and regards religious ceremonies as merely comforting or inspiring, if you like that sort of thing. It advocates freedom of thought in religious matters... And it places its faith in knowledge and understanding—rather than in faith itself—both to improve the circumstances of human life and to make that life more satisfying. The poet Heine, writing in the 1830s, seems to have glimpsed how far ahead of his times Spinoza was in this respect: "There is in Spinoza's writings a certain inexplicable atmosphere, as though one could feel a breeze of the future. Perhaps the spirit of the Hebrew prophets still rested on their late descendant." What would this "God-intoxicated" man have made of his own intellectual descendants? They include many people who openly profess atheism, and even though atheism now carries no stigma in economically developed countries except the United States, it is hard to imagine Spinoza being altogether happy to embrace it. What were for him the most important qualities among those traditionally attributed to God are, in his philosophy, qualities of the universe itself. God is not fictitious; He is all around us. Spinoza's God is admittedly so different from anyone else's that a case can be made for saying that he was an atheist without realising it; but it does appear that he believed that he believed in God. It is sometimes said that the birth of Judaism constituted an intellectual advance over most earlier religions because it reduced a panoply of gods to the one God of monotheism. On this way of thinking, Spinoza may be considered to have continued the work of his distant Hebrew ancestors by performing a further subtraction of the same sort, and reducing the duo of God and world to one."
— The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy by Anthony Gottlieb
— The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy by Anthony Gottlieb
ReplyDeleteRoman Phillips H03
LHP
1. Spinoza's view that God and nature (or the universe) are the same thing, is called pantheism. Spinoza believed in the radical idea of pantheism meaning everything in nature is God. I do not agree with Spinoza's view because I view things in nature such as trees, ducks, butterflies, as God's creation and not as God himself.
2. If God is infinite, there cannot be anything that is not God; if God is impersonal, God is indifferent to human beings. I do not view God as being impersonal either. I grew up attending church regularly and I do believe in praying. Miracles happen that I believe are a result of direct prayers being answered. I am also guilty of projecting human qualities on God - such as compassion. However, I do agree with Spinoza's thought about loving God, but not expecting anything in return. I have been taught that sometimes the answer to prayers is in the form of NO. About nine years ago, my puppy had a choking incident and had to spend the night at the emergency vet. We said a prayer for him at church. While I know very well, emergency veterinary services helped save my puppy, I believe some Divine Intervention helped too.
3. Spinoza was a determinist, holding that free will is an illusion. If Spinoza believed free will was an illusion, then would that make his views on God and nature be true? He was not forced into following his Jewish upbringing. Spinoza freely chose to believe his views? Each choice he made - choosing to live simply, turning down the teaching job, working in the glass industry - those all appear to be choices he freely made. While he may believe these choices were not in his control, that the choices were inevitable, I believe he made lots of choices.
6. Locke's ideas on God given rights of life, freedom, happiness and property influenced the founding fathers of the United States who wrote the Constitution. I feel like if we say these rights are invented then, it loses the meaning of God given. If these rights are discovered, these ideas seem to have more value and meaning.
HWT
7. Ubuntu is a southern African concept. While there is no true translation for the word, it means something closely related to "humanity towards others." The word implies movement and action, it is not a static -ism. It is a humanistic concept which sees society, not God, as the transcendent source of value with political and ethical consequences.
FL
1. Daniel Boone wrote a memoir of life on the Kentucky frontier that turned him into a "real-life superhero."
2. On a wooded lot owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau built a one-room cabin by a lake. Thoreau moved in on the Fourth of July, and epitomized a perennial American pastoral fantasy. I think he would be deeply disturbed about modern suburbia. The suburbs of today do not support his ideals of self-sufficiency and solitude. Most suburbs are overcrowded and continue to sprawl. As for the love of nature, one only has to drive past all those new housing developments where the trees have been mowed down to make room for more housing to become tremendously bothered.
6. Aunt Jemima was the character for the Pearl Milling company founded by a Missouri newspaper editor. They marketed a new branded pancake mix called Aunt Jemima. At the Chicago World's Fair, they hired a previously enslaved woman to play the character for the fair and the rest of her life. Current owner of the company, Pepsico, rebranded the Aunt Jemima name after being accused of racial stereotyping in 2021.
#H02
ReplyDeleteHWT
Qn.2-
The concepts of atman and anatta are explored as part of the philosophical traditions of India and Buddhism. Atman is a Hindu philosophy. Atman refers to the eternal self or soul that is the true essence of an individual. It is considered to be unchanging and permanent. Anatta is a Buddhist philosophy. Anatta (or anatman) means “non-self” or the absence of a permanent, unchanging self. This concept is fundamental to Buddhist teachings, which emphasize the impermanence and interdependence of all things.
Both atman and anatta contradict the classical Western idea of the individual self as a distinct, enduring entity. In Western philosophy, particularly in the tradition of thinkers like Descartes, the self is often seen as a stable, autonomous identity that persists over time.
HWT
Qn.5-
Nishida Kitaro, a prominent Japanese philosopher and the founder of the Kyoto School, made a significant distinction through his concept of the “logic of place” (basho). This idea challenges traditional Western dichotomies by proposing a more integrated and holistic approach to understanding reality. Nishida’s “logic of place” emphasizes the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things, suggesting that individual entities do not exist in isolation but are defined by their relationships within a larger context. This distinction is crucial as it bridges Eastern and Western philosophical traditions, offering a unique perspective that transcends the limitations of both. Nishida’s work has had a profound impact on modern philosophy, particularly in how we understand the nature of self, reality, and the dynamic interplay between the two.
HWT
Qn.6-
In Monty Python’s “Life of Brian,” the point about individuality is humorously and is illustrated in the famous scene where Brian, mistaken for a messiah, addresses a crowd of followers. He tells them, “You are all individuals,” to which they all chant back in unison, “Yes, we are all individuals!” This scene satirizes the human tendency to conform even when proclaiming individuality. The irony is real as the crowd, in their eagerness to follow Brian, fails to recognize the very essence of his message, the importance of thinking for oneself and embracing true individuality. This comedic yet profound moment underscores the absurdity of blindly following leaders or ideologies without critical thought. It challenges the audience to reflect on their own beliefs and the extent to which they genuinely exercise independent thinking. By stressing the crowd’s collective response with Brian’s call for individuality, Monty Python cleverly critiques societal norms and the paradox of seeking individuality within the confines of conformity.
Maheswari Ramesh (Maahi)