the greatness of human thought is not measured only by what is said but also by what it is capable of understanding and internalizing Spinosa did not present a distant unattainable or vengeful God he introduced something radically different something that if fully understood can transform the way you see the universe nature and life itself but who was baruk Spinosa and what did he mean by his God his thought was revolutionary for his time and even today in the 21st century he continues to challenge us to look at reality with new eyes in this video we will
explore the essence of this Vision in a simple yet profound way so that you can understand what is at stake how it can transform your life and how through Spinoza's eyes we can see Divinity in everything around us it is hard to imagine that one of the greatest philosophers in history baruk Spinosa could have proposed something so simple and yet so revolutionary he did not come into the world to create a new religion or to establish a God to be worshiped but to present us with something completely different Spinosa invites us to abandon the vision
of an external God something separate from us and the world and embrace the idea that God is everything that exists he is immanent present within every atom every thought every movement of the cosmos Spinoza's God is the universe itself but what exactly does it mean for God to be a manant for Spinosa this means that God is not something outside or Beyond The World God does not reside in a distant Heaven nor does he exist as a separate entity that intervenes in human history instead God is the very substance of the universe the essence that
permeates and sustains the order of everything that exists imagine for a moment a vast ocean no matter where you look the water is the same the ocean is an indivisible Unity way waves may rise and disappear currents may change but the water that composes them is the same everywhere spino's God is like this ocean every tree every Star every creature is an expression of this Divine substance there is nothing outside of him nor above him for he is the very essence of what we call reality therefore what is essential to understand is that for Spinosa
God and the world are not separate entities there is no Creator who at some point made the universe and then withdrew leaving it to follow its course God is not a distant or transcendental figure he is in everything he is everything he is the unique substance that connects all aspects of existence in his book ethics Spinosa goes even further saying that God is the cause of himself that is God does not depend on anything external to exist he is eternal and unchangeable by understanding this we begin to realize that we are not separate from God
but part of this Divine totality if God is the unique and infinite substance then we human beings are manifestations of that substance we are like waves that rise and disappear in the vastness of the ocean but our essence is the same as the water that composes the ocean Spinosa challenges us to recognize the sacredness of the world we live in he invites us to look at trees Rivers stars and see in them the expression of God it is not about seeking an external God but realizing that he is already here now in every breath and
every movement of life this emanant God does not demand our worship but rather our understanding our recognition of his totality true spirituality according to Spinosa does not lie in the worship of an external being but in the understanding of the universal order and the acceptance that we are part of something much greater than ourselves if God is in everything then everything is sacred there is no separation between the human and the Divine the spiritual and the material everything that exists is an expression of God when you contemplate nature the cosmos life in its totality you
are contemplating the divine presence this is Spinoza's profound call to awaken to the emanant Divinity in everything that exists there is no need for rituals or ceremonies to approach God for he is already within you what is needed is an Awakening a deep realization that God is Not distant but is the very essence of everything you see see feel and live this is Spinoza's God a God who is not outside of us but is the very substance of reality when we can see beyond appearances and perceive the underlying Unity of everything that exists we begin
to understand what is truly Divine and this in itself is an act of worship not worship through rituals or words but through a profound understanding of the interconnectedness of all all things to truly understand Spinoza's concept of God it is necessary to delve into one of the fundamental pillars of his philosophy the notion of a single substance what does he mean by this how can we comprehend something so vast which permeates all of existence yet is indivisible and eternal at the same time SP presents us with a radically different vision from what we are accustomed
to thinking about the universe instead of seeing the world as a collection of separate objects and entities he invites us to perceive the underlying Unity of all things and this Unity is the Divine substance the essence that permeates everything that exists for Spinosa substance is the foundation of everything substance is that which exists by itself without depending on any external to exist everything we see touch feel and think is an expression of this substance in other words everything in the universe is a manifestation of a single substance which he calls God or nature deos Cena
there is no world outside this substance reality as we know it is inseparable from it imagine for a moment that you are looking at a river the flowing water is the substance that reveals itself in many forms in small waves in strong currents or in calm Stillness each drop of water is an expression of the same substance but no single drop is the complete substance together the drops form the river and the river is a manifestation of this substance when we think of the universe in this way we see that substance is present in everything
in a dynamic and infinite way Spinosa challenged the idea that reality was composed of multiple substances of several separate principles acting independently on the contrary for him there is only one substance a single Essence underlying the totality of the universe he wrote nothing can be or exist without substance for substance is the cause and Foundation of everything that is this is a difficult concept to grasp because our minds habitually divide the world into categories material and spiritual body and soul human and divine however Spinosa challenges us to see that all these distinctions are in a
way Illusions created by our minds when we can perceive the totality of the universe as a single substance all these categories and divisions lose their power the body is is not separate from the soul the human is not separate from the Divine the material is not separate from the spiritual everything is an expression of the same infinite and eternal substance this understanding is what Spinosa calls monism or the idea that there is a fundamental unity in all reality and this Unity is not a distant abstraction or something we can only reach through philosophical reflection for
Spinosa the single substance of God is here and now in everything we see and touch although Spinoza's Divine substance is one it manifests itself in various ways to explain this Spinosa uses the idea of attributes he describes substance as having infinite attributes but human beings are capable of understanding only two of them extension and thought these two attributes are the ways in which we perceive the Divine substance in our daily lives extension refers to the physical world what we see touch and experience on a material Level everything that exists in the material world such as
a rock a tree or a star is a manifestation of the attribute of extension of the Divine substance thought on the other hand is the attribute related to mind reason and Consciousness ideas thoughts feelings and emotions are manifestations of the attribute of thought although to us the material world and the mental World seem to be separate spheres for Spinosa they are simply different expressions of the same Divine substance thought and extension are not two different substances but two aspects of the same reality there is no real division between matter and mind they are united in
the substance that is the foundation of All Things by proposing this vision of a single substance Spinosa ends up presenting a conception of God that is often referred to as pantheism the word pantheism comes from the Greek pan all and Theos God meaning that God is in everything and everything is a manifestation of God for Spinosa God and nature are the same thing nature is not something created by God it is the very expression of God therefore when we look at the world around us we are looking at God the question of freedom in its
deepest conception has been debated by philosophers for centuries but what does Spinosa propose in his radical view of determinism ISM and freedom for him freedom is not the opposite of determination but rather a way of living in accordance with the true nature of reality free from the illusions that imprison us Spinosa in his quest to understand how the universe works sees reality as a totality governed by immutable laws where everything is determined by a chain of causes and effects and here arises a challenge if everything is detered deted what place is there for human Freedom
what does it mean to be free in a universe where nothing happens by chance Spinoza's answer is surprising for him Freedom does not consist of the ability to choose without restrictions but in living according to the laws of nature and reason true freedom is found when we free ourselves from the illusion of an independent will and recognize that our desires and actions are part of a chain of causes extending Through Time time Freedom then is not the absence of determination but the ability to act in harmony with the totality of existence however this vision of
determinism does not imply that we are mere puppets of Fate on the contrary Spinosa sees that true Freedom arises when we understand the nature of these causes and accept them when we realize that our emotions desires and and actions are determined by a complex interaction between our constitution our past experiences and the conditions of the world around us we begin to perceive that true freedom is not about escaping this determination but about acting with full knowledge of it the key to Freedom according to Spinosa is reason when Guided by reason we align ourselves with the
natural order of the universe understanding that our desires are not the result of arbitrary choices but manifestations of an inner necessity by understanding the causes that determine us we can free ourselves from blind passions and impulses that lead us irrationally this concept of Freedom then is not a release from determinism but an acceptance of it with the ability to act in Conformity with the laws of nature and reason Spinoza's true freedom is the freedom to be who we are to live according to our true nature and to act rationally and consciously the idea of a
free and independent will is for him an illusion that arises from ignorance of the causes that shape us Spinosa also points out that most people live in a kind of slavery dominated by passions and irrational desires when we do not understand the causes of our actions we become prisoners of our emotions which guide us unpredictably and often harmfully most of us are not aware of the true causes of our actions and thus we feel as if we are free but in reality we are slaves to our passions therefore freedom for Spinosa is a matter of
perception and wisdom the more we understand the nature of the causes that determine us the more we can act consciously rationally and in harmony with reality true freedom is the ability to live according to reason to understand the necessity that governs us and to act in accordance with it rather than being enslaved by our passions and Illusions ultimately it is the freedom to live authentically in full connection with the universe and our own being now we invite you to reflect on Spinoza's ideas and how they can transform your perspective on the world what aspects of
your life can you begin to align more deeply with natural laws and reason share your thoughts and Reflections in the comments pass this message along to someone who might benefit from it and if you haven't already subscribe to the channel to continue this philosophical Journey with us together we can expand our understanding and live more authentically Guided by the wisdom that Spinosa offers us thank you for watching
