英国哲学家乔治·亨利·刘易斯(英语:George Henry Lewes)在1846年表示,“泛神论与哲学一样古老,它曾在古希腊学派中由柏拉图、圣奥古斯丁、犹太人向人们教授。人们可能会说,泛神论在其多种外表下,确实是形而上学问题触及逻辑限制时的必然结果。正因如此,我们在每一时代与国度中都可发现它的踪影:在梦中沉思的印度文明、才华四溢的古希腊文明、实用主义的罗马文明,以及智辩者、热情的意大利人、充满活力的法国人、喜爱冒险的英国人,泛神论成为了哲学的最终答案。于是我们不禁要问,斯宾诺莎的独创性在哪?因为我们看到,他所提出的理论似乎只是对前人说法的复述。他的独创性在于对该学说的系统整理与发展,他最先展示出泛神论中科学的方面。古希腊和古印度泛神论思想只是一种模糊的学说,不带科学的特征——它可能为真,也可能为假,但没有任何证据可证明或证伪这一点。在斯宾诺莎的整理下,这种模糊性不再,如果你理解他所使用的术语,承认他的理论的可能性,并把握他要表达的涵义,那么你就不会再对他的结论有任何疑虑,正如你不会怀疑欧几里得几何的正确性。没有可能的纯粹意见,只有可能的信念。”[35]
美国哲学家S.M.梅拉梅德(S. M. Melamed)在1933年写道,“斯宾诺莎或许不是现代欧洲首个一元论者和泛神论者,在他之前的布鲁诺为人类传达了相似的信息。然而,布鲁诺只是人类思想史上美丽的一页,而斯宾诺莎则为后世留下了强烈的影响。布鲁诺更像是古希腊的表演家与诗人,他的心灵充满艺术激情;而斯宾诺莎则相反,他是纯粹的精神(spiritus purus),而他的思想方法是哲学的典范。”[36]
18世纪
最早使用泛神论一词的是苏格兰数学家约瑟夫·拉弗森,他在1697年作品《论真实空间与无限存在》(De Spatio Reali seu Ente Infinito)使用了泛神论的拉丁文形式pantheismus。[6][37]拉弗森在文中区分了无神论的“panhylists”和斯宾诺莎所代表的“泛神论者(pantheists)”。其中,panhylists一词来源于希腊语词根pan(意味“所有”)以及hyle(意为“物质”)的组合,这类人相信万物皆为物质,而斯宾诺莎提出的泛神论者则信奉一类“普遍的宇宙实体,它们即是物质的,也是智慧的,它们由自身本质塑造出一切存在之物。”[38][39]拉弗森主张,单凭人类的能力永远也无法对无限宇宙达成完整理解。他还在书中提到了古埃及、波斯、叙利亚、亚述、希腊、印度和犹太卡巴拉人(特指斯宾诺莎)的泛神论的观点。[40]
1702年,拉弗森的作品被译为英文,泛神论也有了其英文形式(pantheism)。随后,这个概念在爱尔兰哲学家约翰·托兰德1705年作品《由一位泛神论者忠实陈述的索齐尼主义》(Socinianism Truly Stated, by a pantheist)的影响下广泛传播。[41][42]托兰德曾受斯宾诺莎和布鲁诺思想的熏陶,他亦读过拉弗森的《论真实空间与无限存在》,并称其为一本巧妙的书籍。[43]和拉弗森一样,他混用泛神论者和斯宾诺莎主义者,将两者视为同一概念。[44]1720年,托兰德用拉丁文写下了《泛神论:或者,赞美苏格拉底社会的形式》(Pantheisticon: or The Form of Celebrating the Socratic-Society),他在文中构想了一个由泛神论者组成的团体,他们相信“世界上的所有事物都为同一物,而这一物即是存在于万物内的万物……这个万物内的万物就是上帝,永恒且无限,无初生亦不灭。”[45][46]1710年,他在寄给莱布尼茨的信中提到,泛神论对其而言是“一种认为除了宇宙以外没有其它永恒之物的观点”。[47][48][49][50]
1785至1789年间,斯宾诺莎的学说成为了德国哲学家弗里德里希·海因里希·雅各比(该学说的批评者)和摩西·门德尔松(该学说的维护者)争论的焦点。这次争论在被称为泛神论之争(Pantheismusstreit),斯宾诺莎的学说也借此在德国思想家之间得到了广泛传播。[53]争论源于1780年雅各比和剧作家戈特霍尔德·埃弗拉伊姆·莱辛的一次谈话,莱辛表示自己所知的唯一哲学是斯宾诺莎主义。雅各比因此开始深入研究斯宾诺莎的思想,并在1785年发表的《论斯宾诺莎的学说》(Über die Lehre des Spinozas)[a]表达了对斯宾诺莎哲学体系的批判,该作品引发了由门德尔松主导的伯林学派的不满。雅各比声称,斯宾诺莎的学说是纯粹的唯物主义,因为该学说认为自然与上帝都仅是广延实体,除此之外别无他物。因此,对雅各比而言,这是由启蒙运动理性主义得出的看法,并将终将引至完全的无神论。门德尔松不同意雅各比的说法,他表示泛神论在更多程度上是有神论而非无神论。上述争议成为了当时欧洲文化界中一个重要的知识与宗教关注。[54]
美国天文学家卡尔·萨根的儿子多里昂·萨根(英语:Dorion Sagan)在2007年的书籍《逐渐闪耀: 对自然本质的思考》(Dazzle Gradually: Reflections on the Nature of Nature)中称,其父信仰斯宾诺莎和爱因斯坦的上帝,即那个等同于自然,而非位于自然背后、操纵自然的上帝。[71]
1896年,神学家J·H·沃曼(J. H. Worman)区分了7种泛神论类别:机械或唯物主义的(神是存在的机械统一体)、本体论的(一切存在事物的统一,斯宾诺莎)、动态的、物理的(神是世界的灵魂)、伦理的(神是宇宙的道德律令,费希特)、逻辑的(黑格尔)以及纯粹的(神被完全吸纳为自然,沃曼将其等同为无神论)。[47]
Birx, Jams H. Giordano Bruno. Mobile, Alabama: The Harbinger. 11 November 1997 [5 February 2019]. (原始内容存档于27 July 2017). Bruno was burned to death at the stake for his pantheistic stance and cosmic perspective.
Charles Taliaferro; Paul Draper; Philip L. Quinn (编). A Companion to Philosophy of Religion. : 340. They deny that God is "totally other" than the world or ontologically distinct from it.
Damascius, referring to the theology delivered by Hieronymus and Hellanicus in The Theogonies. sacred-texts.com. [2023-06-19]. (原始内容存档于2023-04-09).:"... the theology now under discussion celebrates as Protogonus (First-born) [Phanes], and calls him Dis, as the disposer of all things, and the whole world: upon that account he is also denominated Pan."
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Dependence and Freedom: The Moral Thought of Horace Bushnell by David Wayne Haddorff [1] (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆) Emerson's belief was "monistic determinism".
Creatures of Prometheus: Gender and the Politics of Technology by Timothy Vance Kaufman-Osborn, Prometheus ((Writer)) [2] (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆) "Things are in a saddle, and ride mankind."
Emerson's position is "soft determinism" (a variant of determinism) [3].
"The 'fate' Emerson identifies is an underlying determinism." (Fate is one of Emerson's essays) [4] (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆).
Hegel was a determinist" (also called a combatibilist a.k.a. soft determinist). [5] (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆) "Hegel and Marx are usually cited as the greatest proponents of historical determinism." [6] (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆)
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* Theories of the will in the history of philosophy by Archibald Alexander p. 307 Schelling holds "...that the will is not determined but self-determined." [7]
The Dynamic Individualism of William James by James O. Pawelski p. 17 "[His] fight against determinism" "My first act of free will shall be to believe in free will." [8] (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆)
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