What did Spinoza believe in?

Answer 1

Spinoza believed that God is not a transcendent being independent of the universe but an infinite substance that is the rational structure of the universe. The infinite substance is infinite because it has infinite attributes, but two of which are known to us, which are extension and thought. While the Substance has attributes, each of which is the reflection of its nature, it also has modes/modifications. Modes are individual physical entities that partake in the substance and are conceived through the substance. Without the Substance there can be no modes. In a sense each mode is a particular manifestation of the Substance. All modes, however, are finite in that they are always contingent on one another, but the substance is self-evident and self-explanatory because it pertains both essence and existence.

This whole metaphysical layout is a significant background that defines and explains human nature. In the case of the mind-body, Spinoza believes that the attributes of God (thought and extension) are merely aspects of God rather than distinct parts of God. Based on this understanding both the body and the mind are the same (By the way, just in case you don't know, extension is another word for material bodies). For Spinoza human nature can be understood rationally, but ironically Spinoza believes that desire or appetite constitutes human nature. Human beings have Conatus, which is basically a driver for both self-preservation (persistent to exist) and a strive for greater perfection (more joy). Unlike the stoics, Spinoza did not believe in the elimination of passion but the moderation and control of passion guided by understanding. It is by understanding our own emotions that makes us into active agents that is effected by our internal understanding rather than the external events that incites our emotions (making us into passive agents, rather than active).

In a sense Spinoza is a hard determinist because he believes that human actions have a cause, which is naturally desire. But this did not mean that we have no control over out action because Spinoza also believes that by understanding our own desires we know how to control it (think of it as reason causing emotions or passions to become passive to its cause). So in some sense Spinoza is a compatibalist, although this can be disputed.

For Spinoza the ultimate purpose in life is to have an intellectual love for God or to understand how all things (including yourself) are essentially united to God. This leads to a form of salvation that frees from the bondage of passion. For Spinoza this bondage of the passions is not just mere passions but from the turmoil of human existence or the tendency to have a contingent understanding of human happiness (wealth, power, prestige, romantic love, material goods, etc.).

In a sense Spinoza is a pantheist (or Pandeist) or Panentheist. However some called him an Atheist (some atheists also see him as an naturalist atheist). It is difficult to decide which category Spinoza belongs to, but it is obvious that Spinoza believed in an infinite substance that is self-existing.

Answer 2

Spinoza believed in a philosophy that rejected the traditional concept of a personal God and emphasized a pantheistic view of the universe, where God and nature were seen as one and the same. He also believed in determinism, that everything in the universe is determined by natural laws, and he advocated for the importance of reason and understanding in achieving true freedom and happiness.