Baruch Spinoza Research Paper

The 17th century philosophical rationalist Baruch Spinoza is famed for his Moral Relativist view in addition to his unique way of defining God and Nature as one. His legacy derives from these ideas, but he was not completely recognized for these ideas until after his death in 1677.
Beginning at a young age, Spinoza was exposed to Jewish schooling as he lived with his family who were strict adhering Jews. During his childhood, The Dutch were at war with France and Britain and this caused major distress to many Dutch families. Spinoza’s in particular was stripped of their wealth and his father was killed. Following his father’s death, Spinoza was forced to quit his studies and take control of his late father’s business. Unhappy, Spinoza divided the family’s wealth between his siblings and gave his father’s business to his brother in order to pursue his …show more content…
His odd Moral Relativist thinking is unlike anything ever said before him. Spinoza believed in the idea that nothing done by a person is right or wrong, but rather, it is only “subjectively perceived” as so by the individual. This is because, to Spinoza, in a perfect world there is no definitive good or evil. He asserted that every occurrence in the world is a result of the “essential nature” of objects (objects of God). This idea also roots from his idea that God and Nature are different names for the same entity. To Spinoza, God takes many forms, but he is the same force everywhere. He also asserted that “reality is perfection, and everything done by humans and other animals is also excellent and divine.” If a human were to perceive misfortune as imperfection, it is due to human’s inability to conceptualize reality. Because of this, he believes free will is nonexistent, and all decisions made by human beings are made out of necessity