Pantheism

Pantheism is from the Greek pan (all) and theos (god), naming the view that divinity and the universe are identical or coextensive[1]. The term was coined in early 18th century England, with Spinoza often retrospectively named as the paradigm pantheist thinker[2]. The label is sometimes applied too quickly to traditions with more complex theology.

the label is often applied too quickly to traditions that have more complex accounts of divine immanence.

Strict pantheism holds that God and the universe are identical: there is no transcendent God beyond the world[1]. Spinoza's Ethics develops this view in classical Western philosophy[3]. Some modern Western thinkers including Albert Einstein have expressed sympathy with pantheistic framings, often understood in a more naturalistic mode.

Hindu traditions are often called pantheistic but the description fits imperfectly[2]. Advaita Vedanta holds that all is Brahman, but Brahman is also more than the apparent world of multiplicity (the apparent multiplicity is provisionally real and ultimately resolved into Brahman). Vishishtadvaita Vedanta holds Brahman as the inner reality and self of all things, with the world genuinely real as Brahman's body. Neither matches strict pantheism precisely.

Modern interpretations of certain religious and philosophical traditions have used pantheism in mixed ways. Some Stoic philosophy has been called pantheistic. Daoist thought has elements that have been read pantheistically, though the Dao is often distinguished from the universe rather than identified with it.

The related term panentheism (all-in-God) is often more accurate for traditions that hold the divine includes the world but also exceeds it[2]. Many traditions classed as pantheistic are more accurately panentheistic.

Pantheism studies has been a specialized area in comparative philosophy of religion. Michael Levine's Pantheism: A Non-Theistic Concept of Deity offers a major modern study[2]. The relationship between pantheism, panentheism, and various religious traditions has been a continuing topic of philosophical theology.

• Pantheism: A Non-Theistic Concept of Deityby Michael P. Levine
  book
• Ethicsby Baruch Spinoza
  primary source