Malebranche’s occasionalism
As a follow-up to our recent seminar, here is an explanation of Malebranche’s doctrine of “occasionalism”:
“Occasionalism is the doctrine that all finite created entities are absolutely devoid of causal efficacy and that God is the only true causal agent. God is directly, immediately and solely responsible for bringing about all phenomena. When a needle pricks the skin, the physical event is merely an occasion for God to cause the appropriate mental state (pain); a volition in the soul to raise an arm or to think of something is only an occasion for God to cause the arm to rise or the idea to be present to the mind; and the impact of one billiard ball upon another is an occasion for God to move the second ball. In all three contexts – mind–body, mind alone and body–body – God’s ubiquitous causal activity proceeds in accordance with certain general laws, and (except in the case of miracles) he acts only when the requisite material or psychic conditions obtain.”
As we discussed, occasionalism solves the problem of explaining of how the mind and body can affect each other if the two are of different kinds of substance. They don’t affect each other - God does all the acting.
God’s constant intervention in every interaction can make you wonder: if God is so busy intervening every time anything happens wouldn’t it be simpler to take out the material world altogether? What need does God have of actual billiard balls, for example.
I hope this helps address the question of what may have inspired Berkeley’s thought.