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A
Portuguese Jew living in Holland, Spinoza sought a life
of "supreme and unending happiness". Unable to find
deep satisfaction in the usual pleasures of social life, politics
or business (or in riches, fame, or sensual pleasure), Spinoza
sought a more stable source of contentment. And he found this
contentment in God, though not the God of Moses or the Christian
Trinity.
Spinoza
wrote in the rationalist style of a geometric proof to develop
his idea that God is a permanent, indwelling cause of all things.
He sees God as a single, unified, all-inclusive causal system
that is virtually synonymous with nature. Spinoza believed that
the Biblical account of creation is demonstrably false; that
there is no such thing as a free will, either for God or man;
all things are necessary and inevitable; and all objects, including
humans are part of God's active self-expression. Spinoza saw
the presence of God in the constant and orderly working of nature.
Spinoza's
sophisticated moral psychology sees evil in the "unruly
passions," and says they can be overcome by stronger, positive
passions. Our minds can participate in the eternity of God by
focusing on natural laws and the way all things follow from
God or nature.
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On
two audiotapes or CDs- about three hours in length.
Narrator: Charlton Heston
Author: Professor Thomas Cook
Editor: Professor John Lachs
Publisher: Knowledge Products, Inc.
This
title is part of the Audio Classics Series by
Knowledge Products. Knowledge Products publishes a variety of
audio presentations on the great ideas and events of history.
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