Pantheism
The word pantheism emerged from the Greek roots pan, meaning all or of everything, and theos, meaning deity or god. The first known combination of these roots appeared in Latin within Joseph Raphson's 1697 book De Spatio Reali seu Ente Infinito. Raphson used the term pantheismus to describe a specific philosophical stance distinct from atheistic materialism. He distinguished between those who believed everything was merely matter and those who saw a universal substance that fashioned all things out of its own essence. This English mathematician wrote about ancient beliefs held by Egyptians, Persians, Syrians, Assyrians, Greeks, Indians, and Jewish Kabbalists. His work laid the groundwork for later discussions on the nature of divinity and reality.
Early traces of pantheist thought appear within animistic beliefs and tribal religions throughout history as expressions of unity with the divine. Hellenistic theology makes early recorded reference to pantheism within the ancient Greek religion of Orphism. In this tradition, Pan is made cognate with the creator God Phanes, symbolizing the universe itself. The Derveni Papyrus records Hieronymus and Hellanicus describing how Zeus swallowed Phanes after consuming him. These ancient texts suggest a worldview where the whole world is treated as a single entity. Gnostic groups during the Middle Ages also displayed pantheistic tendencies through mystics like Ortlieb of Strasbourg and David of Dinant. Eckhart and Amalric of Bena further developed these ideas before the modern era began.
Baruch Spinoza formalized pantheism as a separate theology and philosophy in 17th-century Europe. This Dutch philosopher of Portuguese descent was raised in Amsterdam's Sephardi Jewish community until age 23 when he received a herem from his local synagogue. His posthumously published Ethics opposed René Descartes' mind-body dualism by holding that body and spirit are one substance. Spinoza used the word God to describe the unity of all substances rather than a distinct personal deity. He earned praise as one of the great rationalists of 17th-century philosophy and became known as the prince of philosophers. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel later stated that you are either a Spinozist or not a philosopher at all. The term pantheism itself was coined after Spinoza's death but his book Ethics served as the major source for Western spread of these ideas.
During the beginning of the 19th century, pantheism attracted leading writers including William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge in Britain. Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel embraced similar views in Germany while Knut Hamsun wrote about them in Norway. Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau adopted pantheistic perspectives across the United States. The Vatican viewed this growing influence as a threat and formally condemned it in 1864 through Pope Pius IX's Syllabus of Errors. Abraham Lincoln's law partner William Herndon wrote a letter in 1886 describing the U.S. President's evolving religious views which included pantheism. This document sold at auction for US$30,000 in 2011 despite its controversial nature regarding organized religion.
The philosopher Charles Hartshorne used the term Classical Pantheism to describe deterministic philosophies found in Baruch Spinoza and the Stoics. Albert Einstein explained theological determinism by stating that past present and future are an illusion within this framework. Ralph Waldo Emerson held what some called soft determinism where fate represents an underlying determinism yet allows for self-determination. Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling argued that will is not determined but self-determined against earlier claims. John Scotus Eriugena and William James also challenged strict determinism within pantheist thought. J.H. Worman identified seven categories of pantheism including Mechanical materialistic Ontological Dynamic Psychical Ethical Logical and Pure forms in 1896. Paul D. Feinberg later added another set of seven classifications such as Hylozoistic Immanentistic Absolutistic monistic Relativistic monistic Acosmic Identity of opposites and Neoplatonic or emanationistic versions.
According to censuses from 2011, the UK was the country with the most Pantheists while Canada saw about 1,000 identify their religion as Pantheist representing 0.003% of its population. By 2021 Canadian numbers rose to 1,855 making up 0.005% of residents. Ireland experienced growth from 202 individuals in 1991 to 1,940 by 2011. New Zealand had exactly one pantheist man in 1901 before that number septupled to seven by 1906 then reached 366 by 2006. The 2021 Canadian census showed pantheists were somewhat more likely to be in their 20s and 30s compared to the general population. People under age 15 were four times less likely to be pantheist than others. Ninety point three percent of Canadian pantheists did not belong to any recognized minority group compared to 73.5% of the general population. No pantheists registered as Arab Southeast Asian West Asian Korean or Japanese in these surveys.
Two organizations specifying the word pantheism formed in the last quarter of the 20th century. Harold Wood founded the Universal Pantheist Society in 1975 open to all varieties of pantheists and supportive of environmental causes. Paul Harrison established the World Pantheist Movement which was incorporated in 1999 to focus exclusively on promoting naturalistic pantheism. This movement has been described as an example of dark green religion with a focus on environmental ethics. In 2015 The Paradise Project commissioned Los Angeles muralist Levi Ponce to paint a 75-foot mural in Venice California near its offices. The artwork depicts figures including Albert Einstein Alan Watts Baruch Spinoza Terence McKenna Carl Jung Carl Sagan Emily Dickinson Nikola Tesla Friedrich Nietzsche Ralph Waldo Emerson W.E.B. Du Bois Henry David Thoreau Elizabeth Cady Stanton Rumi Adi Shankara and Laozi. Dorion Sagan published Dazzle Gradually: Reflections on the Nature of Nature in 2007 co-written with his mother Lynn Margulis describing how his father believed in the God of Spinoza and Einstein as nature itself rather than behind it.
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Common questions
When did the word pantheism first appear in Latin?
The word pantheism emerged from Greek roots and appeared in Latin within Joseph Raphson's 1697 book De Spatio Reali seu Ente Infinito. Raphson used the term pantheismus to describe a specific philosophical stance distinct from atheistic materialism.
Who formalized pantheism as a separate theology in the 17th century?
Baruch Spinoza formalized pantheism as a separate theology and philosophy in 17th-century Europe. This Dutch philosopher of Portuguese descent was raised in Amsterdam's Sephardi Jewish community until age 23 when he received a herem from his local synagogue.
Which country had the most Pantheists according to 2011 censuses?
According to censuses from 2011, the UK was the country with the most Pantheists while Canada saw about 1,000 identify their religion as Pantheist representing 0.003% of its population. By 2021 Canadian numbers rose to 1,855 making up 0.005% of residents.
When did Harold Wood found the Universal Pantheist Society?
Harold Wood founded the Universal Pantheist Society in 1975 open to all varieties of pantheists and supportive of environmental causes. Paul Harrison established the World Pantheist Movement which was incorporated in 1999 to focus exclusively on promoting naturalistic pantheism.
What year did Pope Pius IX formally condemn pantheism through the Syllabus of Errors?
The Vatican viewed this growing influence as a threat and formally condemned it in 1864 through Pope Pius IX's Syllabus of Errors. Abraham Lincoln's law partner William Herndon wrote a letter in 1886 describing the U.S. President's evolving religious views which included pantheism.