History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 490 Steven Nadler on Occasionalism
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Apr 5, 2026 Steven Nadler, a leading scholar of early modern philosophy and occasionalism, joins to explore 17th century occasionalist thought. He defines occasionalism and traces its medieval precedents. He examines Cartesian puzzles about mind–body and body–body causation, contrasts Laforge and Malebranche, and links occasionalism to debates on divine causation, freedom, and vision in God.
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Occasionalism Defines God As Sole Causal Agent
- Occasionalism claims natural bodies and minds have no true causal efficacy; God alone is the true causal agent.
- Physical contact or mental volitions only serve as occasions for God to produce motions, sensations, or ideas.
Cartesian Matter Lacks Active Power
- Cartesians argue bodies are purely extension with passive properties, so they lack intrinsic active causal powers.
- Removing Aristotelian substantial forms leaves geometric extension incapable in principle of producing effects in other bodies.
Perception Shows Sequence Not Necessity
- Empirically we observe only sequences of motions, not necessary connections, so perceived collisions don't reveal real causal efficacy.
- This anticipates Hume: repeated sequences show no visible necessity linking cause and effect.