Nicolas Malebranche: Freedom in an Occasionalist World (Continuum Studies in Philosophy, 36)

Nicolas Malebranche (1638-1715) was one of the most notorious and pious of Rene Descartes philosophical followers. A member of The Oratory, a Roman Catholic order founded in 1611 to increase devotion to the Church and St. Augustine, Malebranche brought together his Cartesianism and his Augustinianism in a rigorous theological-philosophical system. Malebranche's occasionalist metaphysics asserts that God alone possesses true causal power. He asserts that human understanding is totally passive and relies on God for both sensory and intellectual perceptions. Critics have wondered what exactly his system leaves for humans to. Yet leaving a space for true human intellectual and moral freedom is something Malebranche clearly intended. This book offers a detailed evaluation of Malebranche's efforts to provide a plausible account of human intellectual and moral agency in the context of his commitment to an infinitely perfect being possessing all causal power. Peppers-Bates suggests that Malebranche might offer a model of agent-willing useful for contemporary theorists. Nicolas Malebranche (1638-1715) was one of the most notorious and pious of Rene Descartes' philosophical followers. A member of The Oratory, a Roman Catholic order founded in 1611 to increase devotion to the Church and St. Augustine, Malebranche brought together his Cartesianism and his Augustinianism in a rigorous theological-philosophical system.Malebranche's occasionalist metaphysics asserts that God alone possesses true causal power. He asserts that human understanding is totally passive and relies on God for both sensory and intellectual perceptions. Critics have wondered what exactly his system leaves for humans to do. Yet leaving a space for true human intellectual and moral freedom is something Malebranche clearly intended. This book offers a detailed evaluation of Malebranche's efforts to provide a plausible account of human intellectual and moral agency in the context of his commitment to an infinitely perfect being possessing all causal power. Peppers-Bates suggests that Malebranche might offer a model of agent-willing useful for contemporary theorists. Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 1 Malebranche’s Metaphysics and the Problem of Human Freedom 10 2 God, Order, and General Volitions 33 3 Arnauld and Malebranche on the Power of the Human Intellect 55 4 The Union of the Divine and the Human Minds 76 5 Attending to Malebranche’s Agent Causation 99 Notes 122 Bibliography 146 Index 152 A 152 B 152 C 152 D 152 E 152 F 152 G 152 H 152 I 152 K 152 L 152 M 152 N 152 O 152 P 153 R 153 S 153 T 153 U 153 V 153 W 153 1847061893,9781847061898 Continuum Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 1 Malebranche’s Metaphysics and the Problem of Human Freedom......Page 10 2 God, Order, and General Volitions......Page 33 3 Arnauld and Malebranche on the Power of the Human Intellect......Page 55 4 The Union of the Divine and the Human Minds......Page 76 5 Attending to Malebranche’s Agent Causation......Page 99 Notes......Page 122 Bibliography......Page 146 O......Page 152 W......Page 153 Malebranche's metaphysics and the problem of human freedom -- God, order, and general volitions -- Arnauld and Malebranche on the power of the human intellect -- The cognitive faculties and the divine ideas -- Malebranche on free will and imminent causation Susan Peppers-bates. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [137]-142) And Index.