Rationalism in 17th Century Europe: Pascal and Spinoza

Rationalist Europe and the Intellectual Landscape

Rationalist Europe was a period filled with doubts and intellectuals. The primary countries involved were France, Germany, England, and Holland.

Geopolitical Shifts and the Rise of Holland

Observe the following changes during this era:

• The German Empire consisted of fragmented territories.
• France achieved victory and began its supremacy.
• Spain lost territories and became weaker.
• Holland became much wealthier through trade and the maritime industry. It was a tolerant country that attracted many intellectuals such as Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, and Hobbes.

Blaise Pascal: Limits of Reason and the Heart

The physicist and mathematician Blaise Pascal was highly important at the time. He suggested that the philosophy of Descartes must recognize the limits of knowledge, rational power, and the power of mathematics. He spoke of the spirit of finesse, which is able to change aspects of the human being beyond reason. This is the heart, which leads us to intuit knowledge that escapes reason. This spirit of refinement captures the idea that man is both infinitely large and infinitely small, because he is the only conscious being aware that he will die.

Baruch Spinoza: The Geometric Order of Ethics

Baruch Spinoza was born in Amsterdam and was declared a non-Jew; also, Christian churches condemned him, and he had to live in exile in different parts of Holland. He did not participate in the family business; instead, he earned his living by polishing lenses.

The Rationalist Spirit and Mathematical Inference

His rationalist spirit was inspired by modern rationalism and considered mathematical inference to be the highest form of rationality. His most important work is Ethics, Demonstrated in Geometrical Order. He was a writer with great power of exposition, so much so that if you accept his premises, he will convince you of his conclusions.

God or Nature: Monism and Substantial Pantheism

This part of the Cartesian definition of substance (reality exists so that other substances do not need to exist) is central. Spinoza claims that there is only one substance because both the thinking self and the world need God to exist. God is perfect, infinite, and has infinite attributes, of which there are two that we can know: thought and extension, which correspond to the other two substances of Descartes.

Spinoza identifies God with nature; hence, he is described as a pantheist and was excommunicated. He distinguishes between two types of nature:

• Natura Naturans (A Creator): God is an infinite being that causes all.
• Natura Naturata (Created Nature): These are the finite beings that exist and have been created. These beings were created because God willed them freely.