occasionalism

occasionalism

Occasionalism is a philosophical concept that explains the interaction between mind and body through divine intervention.

Definition
  1. Noun (Philosophy):
    • Occasionalism is a metaphysical doctrine that denies any direct causal interaction between substances (such as mind and body) and instead asserts that all events are directly caused by God on the occasion of some prior event. In this view, when a person wills to move their hand, God causes the hand to move; the human will is merely the "occasion" for divine action.
Usage Examples
  • (Malebranche argued that God is the only true cause.)
  • (It offers a theological explanation for how mental events correlate with physical events.)
  • (They claim it reduces human actions to mere occasions for divine intervention.)
Advanced Usage

  • "Occasionalism in modern philosophy": contemporary discussions occasionally revisit occasionalism in debates about causation and divine action.

    • Some scholars see occasionalism as a precursor to certain forms of parallelism in philosophy of mind. (It shares the idea that mental and physical events are coordinated without direct interaction.)

  • "The occasionalist solution": the specific argument that God is the sole efficient cause.

    • The occasionalist solution to the mind-body problem has been largely rejected in favor of interactionism or epiphenomenalism. (It is not widely accepted today.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Occasionalist (n): a philosopher who adheres to occasionalism.
    • Malebranche was a prominent occasionalist. (He believed in the doctrine.)
  • Occasional (adj): relating to or serving as an occasion; happening irregularly.
    • The occasional event triggered divine causation in occasionalism. (It is the trigger, not the cause.)
Synonyms
  • Parallelism: a related doctrine that holds mental and physical events run in parallel without causal interaction (often contrasted with occasionalism).
  • Pre-established harmony: Leibniz's theory that God pre-set all substances to act in harmony, similar in denying direct causation.
Related Idioms
  • "Occasion of sin": a theological phrase unrelated to occasionalism but using the same root "occasion," referring to a situation that may lead to sin.
    • The priest warned about the occasion of sin in certain environments. (This is a separate concept from the philosophical doctrine.)