Concluding on the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670) and Tractatus Politicus (1677). What's the relationship between ethics, reason, and revelation? What could "faith" possibly mean to a hard-core rationalist like Spinoza? Is it possible to buy into the non-denominational "true religion" without believing any of the dogmas of traditional religion at all? And what kinds of Continue Reading …
Episode 166: Spinoza on Politics and Religion (Part One)
On Benedict de Spinoza’s Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670), ch. 12–20 and the Tractatus Politicus (1677). What's the relationship between ethics and political power? Given that religious factions tend to create strife, what's the optimal role of the government in mitigating that damage? Is theocracy in any way a good idea? In ep. 165 we outlined Spinoza's project in Continue Reading …
Ep. 166: Spinoza on Politics and Religion (Citizen Edition)
On Benedict de Spinoza’s Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670), ch. 12–20 and the Tractatus Politicus (1677). What's the relationship between ethics and political power? Given that religious factions tend to create strife, what's the optimal role of the government in mitigating that damage? Is theocracy in any way a good idea? In ep. 165 we outlined Spinoza's project in Continue Reading …
Episode 165: Spinoza on Biblical Criticism (Part Two)
Continuing on the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, ch. 1–11. We go more into natural laws vs. ordinances; does it make sense to say that God makes rules for people? Spinoza claims that laws were given to the ancient Hebrews because they were needed for that society, but what's the nature of this necessity? Also, how does Spinoza deal with alleged miracles given that natural Continue Reading …
Episode 165: Spinoza on Biblical Criticism (Part One)
On Benedict de Spinoza's Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670), ch. 1–11. What's the proper relationship between church and state? That seems like a no-brainer to us now, but that's thanks to a long intellectual tradition that fed directly out of Spinoza, and a Spinoza-like take on, say, Islam is badly needed in many parts of the world today. Spinoza, despite what his Continue Reading …
Ep. 165: Spinoza on Biblical Criticism (Citizen Edition)
On Benedict de Spinoza's Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670), ch. 1–11. What's the proper relationship between church and state? That seems like a no-brainer to us now, but that's thanks to a long intellectual tradition that fed directly out of Spinoza, and a Spinoza-like take on, say, Islam is badly needed in many parts of the world today. Spinoza, despite what his Continue Reading …
REISSUE-Ep. 24: Spinoza on God and Metaphysics
On Baruch Spinoza's Ethics (1677), books 1 and 2. Time warp to 2010 when Mark, Seth, and Wes recorded this lo-fi burst of energy, made available to you now to kick of our June Spinoza-fest, with two full discussions coming out over the next four weeks on Spinoza's Tractatus Theologico-Politicus. Dylan and Mark have recorded a new introduction connecting the two works. Our Continue Reading …
Nadler on Immortality for Maimonides vs. Spinoza
I'd like to clarify my comment on the podcast about how the emphasis on rationality as it regards the afterlife is common to Maimonides and Spinoza. I'm looking here at a review by Martin Lin of Steven Nadler's book Spinoza's Heresy: Immortality and the Jewish Mind. Now, Nadler is my go-to local Spinoza scholar--you can see him here and here--and he's the guy Seth was Continue Reading …
Spinoza Stock on the Rise!
"Investors take note: this Dutch rationalist is a hot stock." Thanks for Michael Benedikt for informing me of this article, which says a few words about how Spinoza (a favorite of Schleiermacher, don't you know) fits into today's landscape of ideas. -Mark Linsenmayer Continue Reading …
Clare Carlisle’s Spinoza Walk-Through (via The Guardian)
I just stumbled across an 8 part series on Spinoza (discussed by us here), completed today and begun here on 2/7/11, written by U. of Liverpool lecturer Clare Carlisle, who I see has written some books on Kierkegaard,which will give you some idea where she's coming from. I've not read the whole series, but it seems pretty clear and cogent, and will remind you (or fill you in Continue Reading …
Philippe Goldin on Emotions
Here's a talk from 2008 by Phiippe Goldin (now at Stanford) about the neuroscience of emotions, aimed at non-scientists, specifically Google employees: Watch on youtube. We've not talked a lot about on the podcast so far about the differences in approach between current psychology and philosophy. In this lecture, we get references to specific studies of external Continue Reading …
Spinoza Roundtable
Haven't had enough Spinoza? Watch a panel of Spinoza scholars weigh in via a two-hour Philoctetes Center roundtable. The video is configured so that I can't embed it here; check it out on youtube here: http://youtu.be/v29FVZ0rry8 The discussion is rambling and badly needs editing. The panelists all monologuize (worse than we do on the podcast) and (particularly near the Continue Reading …
Episode 25: Spinoza on Human Nature (Citizens Only)
Discussing Books II through V of the Ethics. Continues the discussion from Ep. 24. What is the relation between mind and body? How do we know things? What are the emotions? Is there an ethical ideal for us to shoot for? What is our relationship to God? Our rational nature prevails over urges to scream, sleep, or slap each other as we plow to the end of this strange and Continue Reading …
PREVIEW-Episode 25: Spinoza on Human Nature
This is a 32-minute preview of a 1 hr, 38-minute episode.Buy Now Purchase this episode for $2.99. Or become a PEL Citizen for $5 a month, and get access to this and all other paywalled episodes, including 68 back catalogue episodes; exclusive Part 2's for episodes published after September, 2020; and our after-show Nightcap, where the guys respond to listener email and chat Continue Reading …
“The Universe is in Us:” Science and Religious Awe
To present another perspective on the "we are one with the universe" trope, here's astrophysicist and science popularizer Neil Tyson, who is not a "reverend" so far as I can tell. Watch on youtube: http://youtu.be/XLvh64sMrWY According to Tyson, because of the Big Bang and the consequent commonalities among all matter, we and the rest of the universe are all from the Continue Reading …
Spinoza and Leibniz: Anthony Quinton and Bryan Magee
We talked a bit on Ep 24 about Spinoza's relationship to Leibniz, and here's the first of a series of videos that gives more detail on that relationship: To watch this on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmbGbo-oyKc McGee's introduction for the first three minutes or so just repeats biographical information we gave on the podcast. Quinton focuses on the Continue Reading …
Episode 24: Spinoza on God and Metaphysics (Citizens Only)
Discussing Spinoza's Ethics (1677), books 1 and 2. We mostly discuss his weird, immanent, non-personal conception of God: God is everything, therefore the world is God as apprehended through some particular attributes, namely insofar as one of his aspects is infinite space (extension, i.e. matter) and insofar as one of his aspects is mind (our minds being chunks or "modes" Continue Reading …
PREVIEW-Episode 24: Spinoza on God and Metaphysics
This is a 32-minute preview of a 1 hr, 36-minute episode. Buy Now Purchase this episode for $2.99. Or become a PEL Citizen for $5 a month, and get access to this and all other paywalled episodes, including 68 back catalogue episodes; exclusive Part 2's for episodes published after September, 2020; and our after-show Nightcap, where the guys respond to listener email and chat Continue Reading …