Kai on Spinoza: Intuition, Rationalism and Mysticism

This week, BA student Kai will discuss the philosophy of Spinoza and different ways of interpreting it! Note that we are not meeting in the usual room, but in room 337 this time.

"Spinoza, called an atheist by some, a god-intoxicated man by others, was an interesting philosopher. Does his "Deus sive Natura" imply that he was a down-to-earth rationalist or does his encouragement of an "intellectual love of god" make him a religious thinker? But what does the rest of his "Ethics" say on this divide? Turning to his epistemology as a starting point, we may discover quite a mystic Spinoza. This week, we'll discuss some of the different interpretations of Spinoza's work and whether, at the end of the day, he could be considered a rationally inclined mystic instead."

Image: Excommunicated Spinoza by Samuel Hirszenberg.

Also check out other Meetups in Tartu.