Does anyone know what Baruch Spinoza's belief regarding the "fate" of the soul after the body's death?

Question

This was put in the wrong category; now it is in philosophy where it belongs.
I know that there is a sentiment that while in an impersonal sense, one does not live on after death, but there is a sort of hint that a sort of endowment of eternity comes with having a soul. Isn't the mind the soul (interchangably) according to Spinoza though? So it'll decay along with the rest of the physical parts of the body after death won't it? What am I missing? Thank you for the time if there is an answer to this - it's not like I can just ask anybody about this sort of thing...

Answer 1

I totally agree with Wizzards_23, above, but would just like to clarify a point if I may. Where Wizzards writes about Spinoza's idea of the mind being the "imagination" (durational) - rather than this concept of the mind ... I would call it the "essence" of the mind.

"Spinoza contended that "Deus sive Natura" ("God or Nature") was a being of infinitely many attributes, of which extension and thought were two. His account of the nature of reality, then, seems to treat the physical and mental worlds as two different, parallel "subworlds" that neither overlap nor interact." (Wikipedia, see link below).

Spinoza's concept of God as nature (unknowable), but also having extension and thought, would seem to imply an intelligence that transcends (or runs in parallel) with the corporal/natural aspect to his God ... the spiritual dimension, if you like ... or "the soul" as Christians would have it. Notwithstanding his stance on "good and evil" (he believed in the divinity of every act") - this brings him not a million miles from Descarte's life after death.

The "limitation" is in our mind not being able to fully comprehend the spiritual/abstract or infinite Magnificence that is God ... nor the abstract invisible 'spiritual' dimension that is part of us. Again, I am in concord with Wizzards ... no physical part of us survives ... but the essence of what and who we are does.

Answer 2

Wow-you are really taking me back to when I was a student of Philosophy at college !

Based on writing papers on Philosophy, and my answer to this question entailed something to the effect that Spinoza was speaking about "durational aspects of the mind", which he believed was the imagination.

Spinoza was also Jewish, born into a Dutch family. He also did not believe in life after death. (the Christ factor missing, obviously).
He believed that GOD was a Being,that had many attributes, that include extension and thought. GOD in Spinoza's opinion, didn't rule the universe by providence, but WAS part OF the universe. (ie Nature).
He also believed that GOD had no personality, and therefore, cannot be known.

Spinoza believed that mind and soul are NOT the same.
In his writings, "Eternity of the Mind", (which yes, I have read,); he believed in cause and effect. He believed that the mind is destroyed with the body in death. He set out to disprove his predecessor, Rene' Descartes, who believed in good and evil and that there was life after death.
Descartes also believed in free will.

If you are interested, I believe "Eternity of the Mind" is available in probably most libraries or college bookstores. Or, perhaps you have already read it and that is why you are asking this question !

Traditional Christian belief as you already know, says that there is life after death and that the soul lives on. This thought, however, is limited by man.
The MIND isn't the soul in Spinoza's opinion, because it is durational and is really the IMAGINATION.

It is also my belief that since I believe that after we die, we are made perfect by GOD. Man is limited in his thoughts because GOD is all-knowing. I don't believe that only "parts" of us go to heaven. But I do not believe that we go to heaven as we see and know ourselves on earth.
Thanks for your question! I hope I have helped somewhat.