Spinoza “Ethics” Short paper

Spinoza “Ethics” Short paper

2 pages double spaced- no intro or conclusion needed

Explain Spinoza’s account of how the universe causally depends on God (focus on 1p16). How does Spinoza’s theory differ from the prevailing views of the time? (Be sure to contrast Spinoza’s picture of intelligibility—i.e., his understanding of the reason things are the way they are—with a more traditional picture of the explanation of why things are the way they are, having to do with God’s plan for the world.) Why does Spinoza think things could not have happened differently from the way they did? Which position do you find more reasonable, Spinoza’s or the more traditional view? Explain fully.

Solution Preview

Since, according to Spinoza, no two substances share an attribute or an essence, and that there is a substance with an infinite attribute, which is God, it concludes that the existence of the infinite object hinders the existence of any other object. Breaking the point down, the universe and all that exists in it, cannot exist in itself but as an extension or in one infinite being, God. This follows that they do not have their own essence and that their essence and consequently their very attribute is dependent and come from God, who is the sole existence. This point clearly highlights the extent to which the universe depends on God for its existence.

(570 words)