THE SPINOZA INSPIRATION IN THE LATE GERMAN ENLIGHTENMENT (SPATAUFKLARUNG)

The 1780s in German culture witnessed the phenomenon of Spinoza's revival, which was an important generational experience of the fourth philosophical generation of the German Enlightenment, called by Werner Schneiders the generation of I. Kant. Initiated by F. H. Jacobi Spinoza-Streit (Pantheismusstreit) introduced a new quality to the knowledge on the life and work of Spinoza because the question about the 'spirit of Spinozism' was posed for the first time. In the debate over Spinoza the following models of interpretation can be distinguished: (1) weak anti-Spinozism - the Berlin Enlightenment (M. Mendelssohn); (2) strong anti-Spinozism (F. H. Jacobi); Weimar neo-Spinozism (J. G. Herder, J. W. Goethe). The crucial controversy was that between strong anti-Spinozism and neo-Spinozism. In the view of Jacobi, Spinozism is an atheism which eliminates the God of religion (ens extramundanum) depriving him of personal character and free decision. Jacobi argued that the definitions of Spinoza's philosophy as pantheism or cosmotheism are of euphemist character which obscure the essence of Spinozism. He criticized Weimar neo-Spinozism as an inconsistent endeavour of mediation between theism and Spinozism.