Spinoza’s Distinction between Religion and Reason

Yıl 2020, Cilt: 4 Sayı: 1, 29 - 43, 30.05.2020

Kibar Gürbüz

Öz

The main point that Spinoza emphasis in his religious criticism is the distinction that he made between religion and philosophy, also, this is becoming the main topic of Spinoza's book named Theological-Political Treaties. Spinoza reveals the inaccuracy of attempting to adapt religion to reason/ philosophy or to adapt reason/philosophy to religion, through the works of two prominent names, Mūsā ibn Maimūn (Moses Maimonides) and Juda ben Alpakhar, in the Jewish traditional thought. Although these two thinkers belong to the same tradition and the same faith, they differ from each other in terms of methodology. In this study, firstly, we will examine the opinions of Ibn Maimūn and Alpakhar on the subject and subsequently, we will try to analyze the subject with consideration of Spinoza’s criticism and comments related to the subject.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Religion, philosophy, reason, criticism of religion, Spinoza, Mūsā ibn Maimūn (Moses Maimonides), Juda ben Alpakhar

Kaynakça

• Arıcan, Musa Kazım. Spinoza Felsefesi Üzerine Yazılar. İstanbul: Divan Kitap, 2015.
• Balibar, Étienne. Spinoza ve Siyaset. Tr. trans. Sanem Soyarslan. İstanbul: Otonom Yayıncılık, 2017.
• Cevizci, Ahmet. 17. Yüzyıl Felsefesi. İstanbul: Say Yayınları, 2016.
• Ibn Maymūn, Mūsā. Delâletu’l-Hâirîn. Tr. trans. Osman Bayder & Özcan Akdağ. Kayseri: Kimlik Yayınları, 2019.
• Karaman, Hüseyin. “İbn Meymûn’un Düşüncesinde Aklın Sınırları ve Din-Felsefe İlişkisi.” Dinbilimleri Akademik Araştırma Dergisi 6, no. 4 (2006): 153-73.
• Kutsal Kitap: Eski ve Yeni Antlaşma. Tr. Trans. Komisyon. İstanbul: Yeni Yaşam Yayınları, 2008.
• Spinoza, Baruch. Teolojik-Politik İnceleme. Tr. trans. Cemal Bâli Akal and Reyda Ergün. Ankara, Dost Kitabevi, 2016.
• Strauss, Leo. Spinoza’s Critique of Religion. New York: Schocken Books, 1965.
• Wilfinson, Israil. Mūsā ibn Maymūn: Ḥayātuh wa Muṣannafātuh. Cairo: Lajnat at-Taʼlīf wa at-Tarjama wa an-Nashr, 1936.
• Wolfson, Harry Austryn. The Philosophy of Spinoza. Cleveland and New York: Meridian Books. 1961.