The views of Spinoza and Descartes on God have been a subject of discussion and disagreement for a long time. They both agreed that there is only one monotheistic God and that humanity, God, and nature are the components of the study triangle. However, they had different interpretations and disagreed on various issues, including Cartesian dualism, traditional Judaism, exceptionalism, and the nature of God. This essay will explore the agreements and disagreements between Spinoza vs. Descartes on God.
Spinoza and Descartes Agreements
Monotheism
Both Spinoza and Descartes agreed that there is only one monotheistic God. They have disagreement in the believe of many Gods but believed in the existence of one supreme God.
Triangle of Study
Spinoza and Descartes agreed on the components of the study triangle: humanity, God, and nature. They both analyzed these components, although they started from different points.
Plenum Physics
Plenum Physics is the backbone behind the theories of Spinoza and Descartes. While Descartes had a scientific background and contributed to Plenum Physics, Spinoza was only a philosopher and consumer. Therefore, they had differences in interpretations.
Substance and Mode
Spinoza and Descartes researched natural philosophy and found that interpretation can differ based on substance and mode. They agreed that God is the only substance not made up of modes.
Spinoza and Descartes Disagreement
Cartesian Dualism Disagreement
Spinoza rejected Descartes’s views about Cartesian dualism and traditional Judaism. Descartes believed in exceptionalism because he believed God and human minds exist outside nature. Still, Spinoza disagreed with his view and believed in the Unitarian and diagnostic principles.
Unitarian Principle
According to Spinoza, nature is unified, and it includes all. Spinoza’s 2nd principle helps to identify Descartes’s mistakes: “Descartes started to look at the small picture instead of the big one.” Spinoza believes God is another name for nature, while Descartes believes God is outside nature.
Epistemic Starting Point
Descartes’s epistemic starting point is humanity. He believed that if “I” exist, I will look forward to God and then to nature, while Spinoza believed all things belong to nature, whether it is God or humanity.
Eliminationist vs. Unificationist Strategy
Descartes believed in the eliminationist strategy because he analyzed things from a local perspective. In contrast, Spinoza adopted the unificationist strategy to analyze things from a global perspective and realized that other things are just part of nature.
Nature of God Disagreement
Descartes believed that God is special in a strong sense because it is unique and does not belong to any group. In contrast, Spinoza thought that God is special in a weak sense because it belongs to nature. Spinoza believed that everything belongs to nature, which is called naturalism. However, Descartes has disagreement with Spinoza’s argument because he analyzed the thing from a local rather than a global perspective.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Spinoza and Descartes agreed that there is only one monotheistic God and that humanity, God, and nature are the components of the study triangle. However, they had different interpretations and disagreed on various issues, including Cartesian dualism, traditional Judaism, exceptionalism, and the nature of God. Spinoza believed that God is another name for nature, while Descartes believed God is outside nature. Spinoza adopted the unificationist strategy to analyze things from a global perspective. At the same time, Descartes believes that god is special in a strong sense because He is unique and does not belong to any group based on an exceptionalism point of view. But Spinoza disagrees with Descartes’s argument because he analyzes the thing from a local rather than a global perspective.