Occasionalism
Occasionalism is a philosophical doctrine about causation which says that created substances cannot be efficient causes of events. Instead, all events are taken to be caused directly by God. (A related concept, which has been called “occasional causation”, also denies a link of efficient causation between mundane events, but may differ as to the identity of the true cause that replaces them.) The doctrine states that the illusion of efficient causation between mundane events arises out of God’s causing of one event after another. However, there is no necessary connection between the two: it is not that the first event causes God to cause the second event: rather, God first causes one and then causes the other.
Occasionalism is a philosophical and theological doctrine maintaining that God is the sole true cause of every event, while created objects and substances serve only as “occasions” for divine action. In this view, the perceived causes and effects in the world, such as a book falling or a person moving their arm, are not inherently connected but are instead direct instances of God’s continuous power and will. This doctrine, notably developed in the 17th century by [Nicolas Malebranche] and Arnold Geulincx, attempts to explain the interaction between mind and body and the nature of causation itself. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Core Tenets
- God as the Sole True Cause: The central thesis is that God is the only genuine efficient cause. [2]
- “Occasional” Causes: Created things are not true causes but rather “occasional” causes—they simply provide a context or trigger for God’s immediate action. [2, 3]
- Continuous Divine Action: God is constantly and directly involved in causing all events, maintaining the illusion of a direct link between mundane causes and their effects. [1, 3]
Example [3, 4]
- Mind-Body Interaction: When a person wills to move their arm, their intention is the occasion for God to cause the arm to move, not a direct power of the mind on the body.
- Natural Events: When a book falls from a table, it is God’s will that causes it to fall at that particular moment, with the book’s presence on the edge serving as the occasion for God’s action.
Historical Context
- Cartesian Influence: Occasionalism emerged in the 17th century as a way to resolve the interaction problem in René Descartes’ dualism, which posits mind and body as distinct substances that don’t seem to interact. [4, 5]
- Key Proponents: Notable philosophers who developed this doctrine include the French philosopher Nicolas Malebranche and the Dutch philosopher Arnold Geulincx. [4]
- Islamic Philosophy: The concept of occasionalism was also present in medieval Islamic thought, notably in the Ash’ari school, with figures like al-Ghazālī developing arguments against a necessary causal connection between natural events, though interpretations vary. [6, 7]
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] wikipedia/en/Occasionalism
[2] https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2012/entries/occasionalism/
[4] https://www.britannica.com/topic/occasionalism
[5] https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11195b.htm
[6] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/occasionalism/
[7] https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2017/entries/occasionalism/
In Islam
In Islam, occasionalism is a theological doctrine, primarily associated with the Ash’arite school of Sunni Islam, that posits God is the only true cause of all events, with natural occurrences merely serving as “occasions” for divine intervention. Prominent figures like al-Ash’ari and al-Ghazali developed this view to emphasize God’s absolute omnipotence and sovereignty, arguing that the observed regularity of nature is a result of God’s consistent action, not inherent properties or secondary causes within creation itself. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Key Tenets of Islamic Occasionalism
- God as the Sole True Cause: The central idea is that nothing in the created world possesses intrinsic power to act or cause effects. God is the only true efficient cause. [2, 4, 5]
- Nature as Divine Intervention: What we perceive as natural processes—like a lightning strike or a fire—are not causally linked to their effects but are instead “occasions” or “signs” for God to act directly and bring about the effect. [1, 2, 4]
- Constant Divine Creation: The world is in a constant state of recreation by God, requiring His continuous will and power to sustain it. [1, 5]
- Rejection of Secondary Causality: The doctrine denies that creation has any inherent power or independent existence to influence events, instead linking every event directly to God’s command. [4, 6]
Historical Development and Key Figures
- Early Development: The doctrine emerged from debates within Islamic theology (kalām) in Iraq, particularly in Basra. [1, 7]
- Al-Ash’ari (d. 935): The founder of the Ash’arite school, al-Ash’ari is credited with formalizing the concept of occasionalism by negating secondary causation. [1, 3]
- Al-Ghazali (c. 1055–1111): The famous theologian al-Ghazali further articulated and popularized occasionalism in his influential work The Incoherence of the Philosophers (Tahafut al-Falasifa), refuting philosophers who believed in natural causality. He argued that constant conjunction of events does not imply necessary connection but rather constant divine action. [1, 4, 7, 8]
Implications
- Emphasizes Divine Omnipotence: By positing that God alone causes everything, occasionalism strongly affirms His absolute power and control over the universe. [3, 4]
- Foundation for “Inshallah”: It provides a theological framework for the ubiquitous Islamic phrase “Inshallah” (if God wills), emphasizing that all outcomes are ultimately contingent on God’s will. [4, 9]
- A Challenge to Philosophy: Al-Ghazali used occasionalism to challenge the prevailing philosophical views of his time that attributed inherent causality to natural phenomena. [1, 4]
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] wikipedia/en/Occasionalism
[2] https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/abstract/document/obo-9780195396577/obo-9780195396577-0173.xml
[3] https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/34345/chapter/291400599
[5] https://thequran.love/2025/03/26/the-glorious-quran-endorses-al-ghazalis-occasionalism/
[6] https://www.reddit.com/r/islam/comments/aqo9az/is_anyone_here_actually_an_occasionalist/