occasionalist

An occasionalist philosopher gives a lecture on causality.

Definition

1. Noun (Philosophy):
   • A follower of occasionalism, a philosophical doctrine that denies any direct causal connection between physical events and mental events, and instead posits that God (or a divine being) is the sole true cause of all occurrences, intervening on each occasion to bring about a correlation between the mind and the body.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The occasionalist argues that when I will my arm to move, God directly causes the arm to move, not my will itself. (A philosopher who believes divine intervention is the only true cause.)
  • In the 17th century, many occasionalists, such as Nicolas Malebranche, sought to reconcile Cartesian dualism with theological principles. (A historical adherent of the doctrine.)

Advanced Usage

• "Occasionalist causation": a term referring to the specific model of causality where God acts as the intermediary between mind and body.

  • Occasionalist causation challenges the common-sense notion that our thoughts directly produce physical actions. (The philosophical concept of divine mediation.)

• "Occasionalist system": the complete set of beliefs or arguments that constitute occasionalism.

  • The occasionalist system provides a framework for understanding how non-physical minds interact with a physical world. (The theoretical structure of the doctrine.)

Variants and Related Words

• Occasionalism (n): the philosophical theory itself.
  • Occasionalism was developed in response to the problem of mind-body interaction. (The doctrine as a whole.)
• Occasional (adj): relating to or serving as an occasion; in philosophy, referring to the "occasion" for divine action.
  • The physical event is merely the occasional cause, not the true cause. (The event that triggers divine intervention.)

Synonyms

• Occasionalist does not have direct synonyms in common English, but in philosophical contexts, it is closely associated with:
  • Malebranchian: a follower of Nicolas Malebranche, a prominent occasionalist.
  • Cartesian occasionalist: a specific type of occasionalist who builds upon René Descartes' dualism.

Related Idioms

• There are no common idioms directly involving "occasionalist," but the phrase "God of the gaps" is sometimes used in criticism of occasionalism.
  • Critics accuse occasionalists of invoking a "God of the gaps" to explain every mind-body interaction. (A rhetorical term for using divine intervention to fill gaps in scientific explanation.)