The Philosopher's Ring Gold

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"The Philosopher's Ring" is a modern take on the 17th-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza's own signet ring.

The ring is a symbol of courage, bravery and self-belief. It is meant to inspire the wearer to be confident and to hold on to his own beliefs (just like Spinoza did in a hostile environment).

The Known philosopher Baruch Spinoza wore a ring, one on which he personally engraved a rose and the Latin word - Caute (watch out). The rose symbolized himself since the name Spinoza is a variation of the Spanish word for thorn. Spinoza was well aware that he was considered a thorn among the Jewish community in Amsterdam. His ideas irritated the Christian authorities and the Jewish community was afraid that anger will be pointed to them. So the Jewish community banished him (although his ideas appeared centuries before him by kabbalistic figures). 

The common religious perception at that time among both Jews and Christians was that God was a separate and superior entity above creation and humans, while Spinoza saw the entire universe and creation as God himself and claimed God was creation and nature itself. A similar perception to the ancient Asian philosophers like Lao Tsu. The Christian authorities of that time considered such ideas as heresy and banished him too. The Authorities issued no less than 37 condemnation orders against Spinoza.

After Spinoza’s death in 1678, all his writings were confiscated and his figure became a derogatory name. His writings kept on being controversial for the next few centuries but regain renaissance by poets like Goette and Samuel Coleridge. His philosophy known as Pantheism tries to explain nature and God and claims that nature and all creation is the embodiment of divinity and infinity. It means, understanding the universe while taking out any unnatural cause or intervention of an external God but at the same time not just a scientific dry understanding but seeing nature as an organic oneness, infinite and whole.

Natural Science is approaching Spinoza perception in the last few decades. We find some of the greatest scientists of our time who find Spinoza as the philosopher that express their world perception. Einstein said: "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."

Even today the latest discovery of a new subatomic particle known as “The God particle” reminds us of Spinoza’s stance that the divine is in each and every one of us.

The ring is a powerful symbol of courage, self-truth and willingness to deal with a society which is not always ready to accept the different.