Spinoza as Guideline
After experience taught me that all things that frequently happen in common life are vain and futile, … I eventually decided to investigate whether there could be something that was a genuine good … even better, if there was something that, once found and acquired, could provide a constant and supreme joy for all eternity. (Spinoza)
Andrea Sangiacomo: “This is the opening of Spinoza’s book On the Improvement of the Understanding. Spinoza’s philosophy is primarily focused on finding alternative forms of happiness: reliability, resilience, sharing with others, and sustainability are important in this. Has he found them? What can we learn from his quest? Today more than ever, we need to rethink how we conceive of and pursue happiness, not only to enjoy an expansion of our well-being, but also with a view to the impact that our individual and collective actions have on the entire ecosystem. We need more sustainable ideals regarding our conception of happiness than those we have pursued so far. Spinoza can help us here. The main goal of my appointment in Rotterdam is to investigate how to achieve this.”
About the Spinoza Chair
The world seems adrift and the great and problematic challenges within current society call for deeper consideration. Fundamental philosophical concepts such as truth (think of the post-truth debate), reasonableness, tolerance and cosmopolitanism (in a global culture of increasing polarization) play a crucial role in this. How do we live in a world characterized by great inequalities? How do we view the ecological crisis? How do we deal with democracy being under pressure? These have been relevant topics for centuries and also themes many thinkers have contributed to. One of the most important thinkers in this regard is the Enlightenment thinker Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677). His ideas, for example, about the secular state and about truth claims are still extremely relevant today, while our involvement in these debates can, conversely, renew and deepen our understanding of Spinoza.
Who else held the Spinoza Chair?
Prof. Dr. Andrea Sangiacomo 2022-present
Prof. Dr. Henri Krop 2017-2021
Prof. Dr. Piet Steenbakkers 2004-2016
Prof. Dr. Wiep van Bunge 2000-2004
Source: Erasmus University Rotterdam