Spinoza

Spinoza’s concept of Deus sive Natura (“God or Nature”) is central to his philosophy. In his Ethics, he argues that God and Nature are not separate entities but one and the same. This idea is often referred to as “pantheism,” where God is not a personal, transcendent being but rather the totality of existence—everything that exists is a manifestation of God.

For Spinoza:

• God/Nature is infinite and self-caused (causa sui).

• Everything follows necessarily from God/Nature—there is no divine intervention, just the natural order.

• God does not have human-like attributes such as emotions or intentions.

This view rejects traditional religious notions of a personal deity and instead presents a deterministic universe where everything follows natural laws. Some interpret Spinoza’s philosophy as a bridge between atheism and theology, offering a vision of divinity as synonymous with the cosmos itself.