SPINOZA 



coming by its own essence into existence, must be 

 eternal." * 



From the last quoted sentence he derives directly 

 his doctrine of God : " God is to him the absolute, 

 infinite Being, or the substance consisting of infinite 

 attributes, of which attributes each expresses eternal 

 and infinite existence." To Spinoza, God is the think- 

 ing and extended substance. In explanation, he 

 says: "One must not think the epitheton of infinity 

 (unendlich) is withdrawn, but the relation is as fol- 

 lows : We dare not say that the extended substance is 

 unworthy of the nature of God. Mobility and motion 

 are ascribed to it. It is active, efficient, energetic, 

 living, engaged incessantly in producing and chang- 

 ing. To the substance, so far as it has extension, is 

 ascribed, not the quiet of death, but unconditional 

 activity." Everything impressed Spinoza as exert- 

 ing force, everything was animated. Compound sub- 

 stance was regarded as a dynamical whole. The 

 doctrine that everything is animated and alive is 

 essentially peculiar to Spinoza. 



From the second attribute of God Thought all 

 is excluded that belongs to man's existence. Every 

 trace of anthropomorphism vanishes utterly, God 



* Da das endliche ein theilweise Negation, das Unendliche dagegen, 

 eine unbedingte Affirmation der Existence ist, so folgt schon aus dem 

 Satze, das der Substance ihren wesen nach, Existence zukomnt, dass 

 sie unendlich sey. (Ibid.) 



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