What is Pantheism and what does it advocate? – Webtekno

The shortest way to understand the world, ourselves and God is actually through monotheistic religions. However, some philosophers create different ideas of gods outside of these religions. One of these is the idea of ​​pantheism. Pantheism is not an atheist philosophy. On the contrary, he defends the existence of God to the end and even takes it one step further and says that everything is actually God himself.

The idea of ​​god defended by pantheism is everything. Starting out with the idea that everything is God There is also the idea of ​​panentheism similar to this philosophical view. Such ideas do not contradict each other, but they differ on some very important points. Even at points where they differ, instead of questioning the existence of God, they ponder exactly where God is.

Let’s start by briefly defining the concept: What is pantheism?

The concept of pantheism, formed by combining the Greek words pan meaning complete and theos meaning god, is defined in its broadest definition. It expresses the idea of ​​an all-encompassing god. According to pantheism, also known as pantheism in our language, the universe, nature and God are actually the same thing. Of course, so are we.

So, what exactly does pantheism mean?

Let’s consider all other religious beliefs. In these beliefs, there is a powerful god figure who rules over all of them, apart from humans, nature and the universe. In the idea of ​​pantheism, everything is god, god is everything. Pantheists, as in different belief systems, also oppose the idea of ​​a god with humanoid features.

So when did pantheism emerge?

Even though it is not a named philosophical view, it is the first text in which we encounter pantheistic thoughts. It is a work called Asclepius, dated to the 2nd century AD. In this work, “Everything is a part of a whole, or a single one is all.” This sentence forms the basis of the idea of ​​pantheism.

When you think of pantheism, think of Spinoza:

Greek Philosopher Plotinus, who lived in the 3rd century and Names like Giordano Bruno also They made important additions to the idea of ​​pantheism. However, the person who gave birth to the idea of ​​pantheism was the Dutch Philosopher Baruch Spinoza, who lived between 1632 and 1677.

Monism, the view of monism put forward by Spinoza, It strengthened the foundation of pantheism. The word pantheism was introduced into the terminology as a concept later, but the theological works done by Spinoza are considered the most important texts of this idea.

The number of advocates of pantheism is not small at all:

• William Wordsworth
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• Johann Gottlieb Fichte
• Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling
• Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
• Walt Whitman
• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Henry David Thoreau

All of these names are among the strongest advocates of pantheism that we encountered, especially in the 19th century. German Physicist Albert Einstein He showed pantheist tendencies by saying that he was not an atheist, but that the concept of god was much more general.

Pantheism is not atheism:

When the word theism comes into play, you may think that it is a concept related to atheism, but it has nothing to do with it. Pantheism is not an idea that completely rejects the concept of god, like atheism. Pantheism even takes it one step further by saying that everything is god. Of course, since it is different from the concept of god in monotheistic religions as we know them, it may not be suitable for believers.

This idea will actually sound familiar to all of us:

The idea of ​​pantheism may seem like a western view, but it is actually quite close to us. Because some philosophers who think about Islam, They developed the idea of ​​Ene’l Hakk through belief in Allah. Ene’l Hakk means ‘I am God’. In other words, there are Islamic philosophers who say, “I am God.”

It is possible to encounter the idea of ​​Ene’l Hakk in many different texts, but its biggest advocate was Hallâc-ı Mansûr. In fact, Hallâc-ı Mansur was executed for this reason. Because according to Islamic belief, the idea of ​​pantheism is not correct. God, that is, God, is a creator superior to everything else, and it is not possible for him to be the same as a human being, that is, something he created.

There is a very important difference between pantheism and panentheism:

Since it is an opinion that was put forward hundreds of years ago, it has Many philosophers have pondered this idea and has both changed and improved it. One of the ideas that emerged in this way is panentheism.

While pantheism says that everything is God, panentheism says that everything is born from God. So not everything is God, but it is a part of Him. Panentheism, which says that the soul is also created by God, says that the only purpose of the soul is to return to God.

Let’s summarize: What does pantheism advocate?

Pantheism, which says that everything is God and God is everything, argues that there is no separate concept of God. According to pantheists, everything we see around us, such as the universe, nature and humans, is In fact, it is not a part of God, it is God himself. For this reason, it is different from religious beliefs as we know them.

Philosophical view that everything is god What is pantheism and what does it defend? We answered frequently asked questions such as: You can share your thoughts on the subject respectfully in the comments.