Baruch Spinozas Anti Anthroponcentric View Essay -- Philosophy Spinoz

When Baruch de Spinoza composed his philosophical masterpiece, theEthics, he knew that his ideas (particularly those of God) would be considered hereticalin the extreme, leading to any number of unpleasant consequences. This was the reasonthat the Ethics were promulgated in 1677, posthumously (p.97)1. His apprehensions are welljustified in the light-hearted of what he writes in the Appendix (p.145-149) to Part1 ConcerningGod (p.129-145) regarding the prejudices present in the minds of tender-hearted beings. For, it ishere that Spinoza directly challenges the prevalent religious orthodoxy and seeks toremove the genuinely dogma that was the basis of their power.Spinoza asserts in the Appendix (p.145) that there survive certain prejudicesin the minds of volume that prevent them from understanding (and accepting as true) theconclusions that he reaches after a thoroughly logical and indeed, geometrical move ofreasoning. The root of all these prejudices, he further clarifies, is the almost universal teaching that all Natural things exist and act with some definite ending being pursued. Further,he presents for scrutiny the very strong anthropomorphism immanent in most human mindsthat makes these people believe in the initiation having been created for their sake. Lastlycomes the religious part of this picture, wherein mankind exists so that it may idolisationGod, thereby closing the circle of creation.Spinoza (naturally, considering his philosophy) rejects this picture andthereby attempts in the Appendix to argue on the following crucial points 1) The reason1 Roger Ariew & Eric Watkins. Modern Philosophy An anthology of primary sources.Indianapolis/Cambridge, 1998.Note All references to Spinoza will be to this text unless otherw... ...e former, Spinoza replies, ...the perfection of things should be calculated solely fromtheir own nature and power and not with respect to definitions in the imagination.Furthermore, God had no free will in creating the univer se, (from Cor. 1 Pr. 32, p.142 asdescribed previously) and (from Pr.16, p.137) from the necessity of thedivine..(follows)..everything that can come within the scope of unbounded intellect.Therefore, God must, of necessity, be the cause of everything, perfect and imperfect6In conclusion, Spinoza provides an immaculate argument that shouldreadily convince the subscriber of the truth of his main proposition in the Appendix, i.e. thatthe major reason for obstacles in the path of understanding is the anthropocentric viewof Nature that most people hold on to, irrespective of the enormity of the contradictionsinherent in that view.7