In atheism terminology, god = nature, aka “Spinoza’s god”, pantheism, or secret atheism (Bunge, 2010), depending on details, refers to []
Overview
In 1616, Italian freethinker Lucilio Vanini, who was considered an atheist, was said to have been holding some type of god in nature (or god = nature) pantheism type view.
Quotes
The following are representative quotes:
“What one man calls god, another calls the laws of physics.”
— Nikola Tesla (c.1920) attributed (Ѻ) to Tesla in Internet since 2007 (Ѻ)
“I believe in god, only I spell it ‘nature’.”
— Frank Wright (c.1940) in FSM app
“Spinoza’s equation ‘god = nature’ is self-contradictory, and must be seen as a subterfuge. After all, Spinoza’s motto was ‘be prudent’. Consequently, the vulgar characterization of Spinoza as a pantheist is incorrect: he was a secret atheist because he was a naturalist. The same holds for Einstein, who once declared that his religion was Spinoza’s, i.e. none.”
— Mario Bunge (2010), Matter and Mind: a Philosophical Inquiry [1]
References
1. Bunge, Mario. (2010). Matter and Mind: a Philosophical Inquiry (Spinoza, pg. 97; Mach, pg. 247). Springer.
