Nicolas Malebranche
Nicolas Malebranche
Nicolas Malebranche, Cong. Orat., was a French Oratorian priest and rationalist philosopher. In his works, he sought to synthesize the thought of St. Augustine and Descartes, in order to demonstrate the active role of God in every aspect of the world. Malebranche is best known for his doctrines of Vision in God and Occasionalism...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth6 August 1638
CountryFrance
agreeable authority experience faith french-philosopher means pleasant truths
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.
motivational art eye
Just as our eyes need light in order to see, our minds need ideas in order to create.
judging perfection judgment
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.
moving men hands
You cannot of yourself move your arm or alter your position, situation, posture, do to other men good or evil, or effect the least change in the world.
unions united creatures
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.
thorough-understanding order house
I beg of you always to dwell upon the necessity of a thorough understanding of principles, in order to stop the vivacity of his mind, and please do not forget to meditate upon the subject of our discussion.
mind body earth
As our bodies live upon the earth and find sustenance in the fruits which it produces, so our minds feed on the same truths as the intelligible and immutable substance of the divine Word contains.
perfect long too-much
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.
stupid rocks finding-yourself
You find yourself in the world, without any power, immovable as a rock, stupid, so to speak, as a log of wood.
perfection should pursue
One should assiduously pursue perfection without ever claiming to attain it.
believe knowledge men
I do not believe there is anything useful which men can know with exactitude that they cannot know by arithmetic and algebra.
air sound speak
God transforms, so to speak, this air into words, into various sounds. He makes you understand these various sounds through the modifications by which you are affected.