Nicolas Malebranche was a French philosopher and theologian whose work focused on the relationship between the mind, body, and God. His theories of occasionalism and perception shaped the development of modern philosophy, influencing thinkers like Descartes and Leibniz. Malebranche's intellectual pursuits inspire future philosophers to explore the metaphysical dimensions of reality and to seek answers to fundamental questions about existence and the nature of knowledge.
"All creatures are united to God alone in an immediate union. They depend essentially and directly upon Him. Being all alike equally impotent, they cannot be in reciprocal dependence upon one another."
"You will not dishonor the divine perfections by judgments unworthy of them, provided you never judge of Him by yourself, provided you do not ascribe to the Creator the imperfections and limitations of created beings."
"In this connection, faith and experience teach us many truths by means of the short-cut of authority and by the proofs of very pleasant and agreeable feelings."
"Just as our eyes need light in order to see, our minds need ideas in order to conceive."
"Do not fear lest you should meditate too much upon Him and speak of Him in an unworthy way, providing you are led by faith. Do not fear lest you should entertain false opinions of Him so long as they are in conformity with the notion of the infinitely perfect Being."
"He has willed - He wills incessantly - that the modifications of the mind and those of the body shall be reciprocal. This is the conjunction and the natural dependence of the two parts of which we are constituted."