Benedict de Spinoza: Poor Care on Society

Posted by admin on Thursday, August 30, 2018

Benedict de Spinoza Money Quote saying individuals cannot help all the poor that need aid – so society must together offer to care for those in poverty. Benedict de Spinoza said:
 

 

“To give aid to every poor man is far beyond the reach and power of every man. Care of the poor is incumbent on society as a whole” — Benedict de Spinoza

 

 

This quote by Benedict de Spinoza seems to be referring to the responsibility of society as a whole to help the poor, rather than expecting individuals to solve poverty on their own.

Spinoza notes that for any single individual, “to give aid to every poor man is far beyond the reach and power” of what they can do alone. However, he argues that “care of the poor is incumbent on society as a whole” – implying that by organizing support and resources collectively through the institutions of society, poverty can be addressed more effectively than relying solely on private charity.

The overall interpretation is that Spinoza is advocating for societal or governmental responsibility to help the less fortunate, rather than placing the entire burden on individual goodwill, as a unified societal approach is needed to adequately address poverty at a large scale according to Spinoza’s view.