"Do not be mistaken about the word “Substance.” Spinoza took it in its purest meaning, and had to take it in that way if he wanted to proceed geometrically and set down a primitive notion as a basis. What is Substance but a thing which is self-dependent, which has the cause of its existence in itself? I wish that this pure meaning of the word could have been introduced into our philosophy. In the strictest sense, nothing in the world is a Substance, because everything depends on everything else, and finally on God, who therefore is the highest and only Substance. This geometrical conception could not have become generally adopted in a philosophy which must preserve its popular character, for we, in all our dependence yet consider ourselves independent, and in a certain sense, as we shall soon see, we may so consider ourselves."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Johann Gottfried Herder, God, Some Conversations (1787) [original in German]
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinoza
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Baruch Spinoza
philosopher, Bible translator, grinder of lenses
1632 – 1677 · Dutch Republic
Benedictus de Spinoza (24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a social and metaphysical philosopher known for the elaborate development of his monist philosophy, which has become known as Spinozism. Controversy regarding his ideas led to his excommunication from the Jewish community of his native Amsterdam. He was named Baruch ("blessed" in Hebrew) Spinoza by his synagogue elders and known as Bento de Spinoza or Bento d'Espiñoza, but afterwards used the name Benedictus ("blessed" in Latin) de
517 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Baruch Spinoza →
Related Quotes
"Perhaps then we shall take note that the eternity of substance is not, as Spinoza himself reflected, directly assimil…"
"Spinozism dominated the eighteenth century both in its later French variety, which made matter into substance, and in…"
"Hegel's History of Philosophy presents French materialism as the realization of Spinozistic Substance, which in any c…"
"Even in the case of philosophers who give systematic form to their work, Spinoza for instance, the true inner structu…"
"...But no matter how enamoured one may be with Postmodernist instability of meanings and signification slippage, abso…"
"An important part of Deleuze's oeuvre is devoted to the reading of philosophers: the Stoics, Leibniz, Hume, Kant, Nie…"
"[Spinoza] — A God-intoxicated man. [Original in German: Ein Gottbetrunkener Mensch.]"
"In Hegel there are three elements, Spinoza's Substance, Fichte's Self-Consciousness and Hegel's necessarily antagonis…"
"Herr Bauer picked out French materialism as a school of Spinoza from Hegel's History of Philosophy. But when he found…"
"And what this Lange has to say about the Hegelian method and my application of the same is simply childish. First, he…"