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    A sovereign-defined obligation to God collapses the disti... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→It is the duty of the sovereign authority alone to determine how a person is obliged to obey God

    A sovereign-defined obligation to God collapses the distinction between civil law and conscience, making Spinoza's own criterion of piety incoherent.

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    1 reason for
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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.If the sovereign defines what counts as obligation to God, citizens cannot appeal to conscience as independent check on sovereign power.
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    • 2.Spinoza's piety requires rational understanding free from external compulsion, but sovereign-defined religious duty enforces belief coercively.
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    • 3.Civil law operates through external commands while conscience operates through internal rational conviction; merging them destroys both.
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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against
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    • 1.Spinoza distinguishes obedience to law (civil duty) from understanding (conscience); one can obey without losing independent rational judgment.
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    • 2.The sovereign can define minimal obligations to God while protecting substantial space for individual conscience to develop freely.
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    • 3.Piety as rational love of God survives state authority over external conduct because internal assent to God's necessity remains philosophically independent.
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    Social Contract1 linkedDemocracy & Governance1 linked

    Related

    Civil law operates through external commands while conscience operates through i...If the sovereign defines what counts as obligation to God, citizens cannot appea...It is the duty of the sovereign authority alone to determine how a person is obl...Piety as rational love of God survives state authority over external conduct bec...
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    Spinoza distinguishes obedience to law (civil duty) from understanding (conscien...Spinoza's piety requires rational understanding free from external compulsion, b...The sovereign can define minimal obligations to God while protecting substantial...

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    2 (1 for, 1 against)
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