RE: Isn’t pantheism the same thing as atheism?
November 20, 2021 at 7:03 pm
(This post was last modified: November 20, 2021 at 7:14 pm by vulcanlogician.)
The dictionary definition of God isn't really gonna help you understand pantheism. Joseph Raphson coined the term to describe Spinozism. It's not like a popular or colloquial definition of God is gonna illuminate what Spinoza meant by God.
Spinoza was a hard determinist. To him, nobody has free will. Not even God. If you and I count as beings, but are merely a collection of matter doing what matter does, why can't the entire universe also count as a being?.... designated as "God"... but just like you or I... God can only unfold due to it's nature and prior causes.
Spinoza was a hard determinist. To him, nobody has free will. Not even God. If you and I count as beings, but are merely a collection of matter doing what matter does, why can't the entire universe also count as a being?.... designated as "God"... but just like you or I... God can only unfold due to it's nature and prior causes.