Q&A for Western Philosophy

Explain Spinoza’s teaching on God?

Spinoza used metaphysical rationalism, that everything has a cause or reason. He understands a substance to be self-caused and self-explained. Since this substance necessarily has to exist, therefore, need to be absolutely infinite. Therefore, he concludes that this substance is God and that all else exists within the substance. If a substance didn‟t exist, there must be a cause or reason for its nonexistence. This cause or reason must either be internal to the substance – in other words, it must follow from the nature of substance – or external to the substance – either another substance or a mode of another substance. He treats God as a substance and only one substance exists, since existing of two substances would by definition make it impossible to be a substance as infinite. For Spinoza the two terms, ' God' and 'substance' are practically equivalent.

God, or substance, is that which is one, absolutely infinite, indivisible, self-caused, eternal, conceivable through itself alone; and by virtue of this, its nature, it possesses attributes infinite in number, and, therefore, each infinite after its kind, eternal, and indivisible. Owing to this perfection, he cannot find in himself the cause of his non-existence. Consequently, God does necessarily exist. God cannot determine the existence of things, even himself, as the artist a statue or the parents their child, because it would imply a temporal succession between the creator and the created, a beginning and an end which are incompatible with God‟s perfection and everlasting. It is illogical to deduce the existence of God from a typical human and limited category (causality). But in fact, the problem lies in the impossibility for us to reach a logical knowledge of God, since we need to reduce the divine principle to some limited categories which cannot be applied to the most perfect being by nature. That‟s why he underlines another argument: each human being is a miniature of God, because even if we cannot define him precisely, we can give him some properties: he is infinite, unique, almighty… But this idea has a cause which must exist and contain all this idea of God. This cause is nothing but God himself since he is infinite and cannot be limited by something bigger which could contain him; so he necessarily exists.

Spinoza claims: (1) There is only one substance; (2) this substance has infinitely many attributes; (3) this substance is God or nature; (4) each of these attributes express the divine essence; and (5) all else is a mode of the one substance.

Substance:

On the first reading, the definition says that something is a substance just in case it exists in itself or is conceived through itself.

On the second reading, the definition says that something is a substance just in case it both exists in itself and is conceived through itself.

Attribute:

It is that which the intellect perceives as constituting the essence of a substance.

Mode:

By mode he understands the states of a substance, or that which is in another through which it is also conceived. But an attribute must be conceived through itself alone, and hence cannot possess a mode.

God is an absolutely infinite substance and that all else inheres in this substance – that is, all else is explained by, caused by, and conceived through this substance. Since God is infinite, He has infinite attributes. Everything that exists other than substance is not a substance but a mode, the extension of the substance.

According to him all finite beings are modifications of God and nature is not and cannot be ontologically distinct from God. The infinite God comprises in Himself all reality. The finite particular things that populate our world are modes. “Attribute” denotes the unchanging features of a substance, which constitute its essence. “Mode” denotes the changing and accidental properties of a substance. Therefore, the modes are in part of the substance. God and nature are interchangeable. Whatever is God; is in God. We are part of nature, we are in nature. Now since the modes are the extension of the substance, they are part of the substance and are finite. Therefore, we can only know God in his two attributes – thought (mind), extension (body). We did not have the capacity to understand God‟s attributes apart from those two. There is no contrast between God & nature. The distinction of creator and creation is not present here. This is also called as the monism/pantheism.