Final answer:
Baruch Spinoza's philosophy is centered on a pantheistic view of God, not atheism. His double-aspect theory maintains that everything is an attribute of the divine substance. While innovative, his philosophy diverges from traditional religious thought, garnering debate over its classification within Jewish philosophy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Spinoza and the Question of His Atheism
Baruch Spinoza, although often labeled an atheist, didn’t eliminate the concept of God from his philosophy. Rather, he proposed a pantheistic view, in which God is identified with nature or the universe itself. This approach diverges from traditional theism, where God is seen as a distinct, personal creator, but does not align with atheism that denies any concept of God. Spinoza’s God is an infinite substance that includes all things and their essences and attributes. This view led to what is known as his double-aspect theory, suggesting that the mental and physical realms are two attributes of the same divine substance.
In the context of Jewish philosophy, Spinoza’s ideas pose a challenge. Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits argues that, unlike Descartes who built new philosophy from scratch, Jewish philosophers, working within the framework of religion, couldn't be truly innovative in the same way. Spinoza, with his radical views, falls somewhere in between - innovating within the concept of God, but also transforming it so substantially that it diverges from conventional religious thought.
The discussion of Spinoza becomes more nuanced in light of atheism gaining a stronger position in intellectual discourse during the 19th century with figures like Marx and Nietzsche. These philosophers, while dismissing traditional religious beliefs, still engaged deeply with religious questions, akin to Spinoza's own deep but unorthodox engagement with the concept of God.