27 ms·
And awkwardly, this is how Spinoza defines God: "By God, I mean a being absolutely infinite—that is, a substance consisting in infinite attributes, of which ea
by dr_dshiv 6y ago
And awkwardly, this is how Spinoza defines God:
"By God, I mean a being absolutely infinite—that is, a substance consisting in infinite attributes, of which each expresses eternal and infinite essentiality.
Explanation—I say absolutely infinite, not infinite after its kind : for, of a thing infinite only after its kind, infinite attributes may be denied ; but that which is absolutely infinite, contains in its essence whatever expresses reality, and involves no negation"
What's fascinating about this rhetorically is that it forces theists to accept a lesser entity as God or to deal with the ramifications of infinity (which leads to a view that looks a lot like atheism). Einstein famously said he believed in the God of Spinoza.
"I believe in Spinoza's god, who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a god who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind"
- nonsapreiche 6y agoAlso when a logic meets a philosopher https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del%27s_ontological_proof https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del%27s_ontological_pro...
- 082349872349872 6y agoMark Twain, on concern for the doings of mankind and on infinity: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24321794 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24321794
- throw0101a 6y ago> "By God, I mean a being absolutely infinite […]" > What's fascinating about this rhetorically is that it forces theists to accept a lesser entity as God or to deal with the ramifications of infinity (which leads to a view that looks a lot like atheism). Or one takes the tack of Aquinas and say that God is not a [bB]eing but rather Being itself; see his work De ente et essentia (On Being an Essence). Paul Tillich is someone more modern who argues the same. Bp. Roberts Barron gave a good talk "Aquinas and Why the New Atheists are Right": * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NMex7qk5GU&t=7m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NMex7qk5GU&t=7m