Spinoza’s Influence on the Liberal, Democratic Tradition
Op de website van New Jersey
Jewish News verscheen vanavond het volgende bericht:
David Brahinsky, zowel professor of philosophy and comparative religion at Bucks County Community College [in Newtown, Pa] en tevens singer-songwriter-guitarist die al meer dan 30 jaar folk music brengt zal a.s. zondagmiddag 13 oktober in het Jewish Heritage Museum van Monmouth County om 13:00 uur een lezing geven over “Spinoza’s Influence on the Liberal, Democratic Tradition”, gevolgd om 14:30 uur met een concert van zijn Roosevelt String Band een.
Maar waarom ik dit bericht hier opneem is vanwege het volgende:
"Brahinsky told NJJN he hopes to raise the profile of Baruch Spinoza, the 17th-century Amsterdam-born Jewish philosopher who, he said, receives too little credit for influencing America’s forefathers.
Brahinsky said it is more common to link the ideas of England’s John Locke to those expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But Brahinsky plans to discuss recent scholarship showing that Locke himself was inspired by Spinoza, whose ideas of every individual’s claim to equality through the power of reason still resonated a century after his death.
Brahinsky said he has been studying and teaching the philosophy of Spinoza since 1969, but it is only within the last decade or two that the philosopher’s influence on the fathers of American democracy has become known via works by writers Jonathan Israel and Rebecca Newberger Goldstein."
Zou hij op de hoogte zijn van Wim Klevers LOCKE’S DISGUISED SPINOZISM? Dat staat al sinds januari 2009 op internet dus het zou inmiddels doorgedrongen kunnen zijn.
Reacties
The last 500 years of history got my attention and studied Erasmus to Spinoza and King William III and the following is my interpretation of events: Human nature is to believe what feels good regardless of a truth, their motives are self interest and to act accordingly and religion substantiated the right and wrong side of things in the middle ages. Erasmus influenced the population with mocking the establishment. Protestantism was introduced with a God different then what it used to be. Spinoza verified that and removed the idea of a personal God and showed that people are capable of being rational. To be rational is too difficult, it is hard work and thus not much fun. Human nature is to continue to believe what feels good except William III. He was the one and only person grasping the motives of all, including his own so he decided for his own good and his country to do what he did. His choosing of England over France was the easy part. To deliver the bill of rights, freedom of religion and removing the dictatorial powers of the monarchy was all his doing to a country in turmoil without being able to tell where this incredible insight came from. William III assigned John Lock to explain the rational part.
nts:
Reinier Hill 16-10-2013 @ 15:08