ABSTRACT
Grandiose philosophical edifices succeeded each other with startling rapidity. On the whole, and without too much distortion, they can be divided into two main groups: those drawing on rationalism and those on empiricism. The former was characteristic of continental philosophy, the latter of British philosophy. Literally rationalism means the philosophy of reason. The idea is that the philosopher uses his reason in his analysis of being. Like Descartes, modern philosophy also builds on the intuition, and this goes some way to explaining the distinctive stamp of much modern thought. The ultimate aim of Baruch Spinoza's philosophy of being was ethical: man's happiness, which follows from true humanity. In antiquity and in Christian philosophy, it had always been said that God was all in all, that all things were in God and vice versa. Christian philosophy had always added after 'God is all in all' 'God transcends infinitely everything that is'.
