New York City Atheists

 LOCATION: STONE CREEK 140 EAST 27TH ST. (3rd / Lex)

Great Atheist Philosophers on Morality Part III
Spinoza(Was he an atheist or was he god-intoxicated?)

Please join us as we listen to a recorded lecture from the Teaching Company about Baruch Spinoza by Darren Staloff.IBaruch Spinoza was excommunicated from his regligionous community (we will hear the chilling excommunication order) in his youth and never looking back he set out to live a quiet life of contemplation, turning down offers to teach and refusing monetary gifts to ease his life. He is generally thought of as one of the more exemplary individuals in the history of philosophy and yet his resulting philosophical doctrines were not only challenging to the world he lived in but continue to be disputed to this very day. Some call him a damned atheist, others thought of him and his philosophy as god-intoxicated. The lecture outline states: “Spinoza was the first modern philosopher to completely reject the Judeo-Christian theologies in the name of science and reason.”  This could not have gone over well at home. And yet the lecture notes that Spinoza all the time refereed to “the one world substance as “God, or nature.”   Such a pantheistic reverence for being is Spinoza’s attempt to offer a purely rational and scientific form of spiritual nurturing.” 

He is considered a philosophical rationalist (deriving his philosophy primarily from thought alone) who presented his philosophy in a tightly reasoned geometric format complete with axioms and postulates throughout. (See the recommended reading for a taste of what this means in practice.) Please join us as we try to come to grips with the thought of one of the western worlds most profound thinkers. Remember, when Einstein was asked if he believed in god he is supposed to have answered “I believe in the god of Spinoza.”
Note: The lecture outline and transcript is located in the MORE pull-down (which contains the FILES section) at the top of the meet-up menu. Please try to read this in advance of the meeting. A copy will be provided at the meeting.
Link to Spinoza readings: 
http://www.btinternet.com/~glynhughes/squashed/spinoza.htm
There are no prerequisites other than a willingness to be exposed to challenging ideas and engage in civil discourse with the other attendees. 

The meeting is limited to 15 people so if you are interested in attending RSVP on the Atheist Philosophy Club meet-up site or call (Roger Smith) [masked] to reserve a seat.  (We allow 15 RSVP’s since not everyone who RSVP’s shows up).Please arrive by 7:00 p.m. so we can start the lecture promptly and then have more time available for discussion. 
Remember: you must be a member to attend (though you can sign up for membership on the evening of the lecture, so come on down). 

Cost: Participants are expected to purchase a drink or food to compensate The Stone Creek for use of their space.