2: Spinoza's Unity of Nature and Confucius' Qi

In 1929, when Albert Einstein was asked whether he believed in God, he is reported to have replied, “I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the harmony of all that exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind.” Einstein was referring to the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677).

According to Baruch Spinoza, everything in nature has both a body and a mind – they are two aspects of the same “Deus sive natura” (“God or nature”). “Deus sive natura” denotes the totality of what exists, representing the unity of nature. The universe is God or God is the universe; nature is God or God is nature. They are all one and the same thing. There is no separate transcendent providential deity with intentions and plans for what it has created, who judges, or rewards, or punishes.