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This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copy order if, in its judgement, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of the copyright law. AUTHOR: SWABEY, WILLIAM CURTIS TITLE: THE PHILOSOPHY OF MALEBRANCHE PLACE: [HOUSTON, TEX.] DATE: 1921 * Master Negative # COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES PRESERVATION DEPARTMENT BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGFT Original Material as Filmed - Existing Bibliograpiiic Record M 194LI29 i DS Swabey, William Curtis t 1894- The philosophy of Malebranche, by V/illiam Curti 8 Swabey ... ^Houston, Tex,, Gulfport printing co. 1921. 94 24 cm. I p. Thesis (Ph.D), Cornell, 1921. I 96^21 ^ h^ Restrictions on Use: TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA fJLM SIZE: Si_Wk!^HJ^ REDUCTION RATIO: l/jT IMAGE PLACEMENT: lA: ^^^- fllATiB IIB ^ ,^ ^ DATE FILMED:__Wll43^_ INITIALS. JAfrP HLMED BY: RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS. INC WOOnRRinr:F~rT c Association for Information and image RAanagement 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1100 Silver Spring. Maryland 20910 301/587-8202 Centimeter 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 mm iiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiilii iiiiiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiil m TTJ m¥m TTT TTT 1 Inches 2.5 1.0 32 2.2 m 40 2.0 I.I 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 MfiNUFfiCTURED TO fillM STfiNDfiRDS BY fiPPLIED IMfiGE. INC. "5" ' THE PHILOSOPHY OF MALEBRANCHE BY WILLIAM CURTIS SWABEY, A. M. K A THESIS Presented to the Faculty op the Graduate School t* OP Cornell University for the Degree op Doctor op Philosophy 'J 1921 m^ inttitCitpof^etD|»orb LIBRARY THE PHILOSOPHY OF MALEBRANCHE : BY WILLIAM CURTIS SWABEY, A. M. A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School OF Cornell University for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 1921 t PREFACE. In the following pages, I have attempted merely to give an accurate historical account of the main philosophical opinions of Father Malebranche; the perhaps more important task of making a critical ap- praisal of the truth of these opinions has been largely left to some future date. It is, at any rate, clear that PRESS OP OULFPORT PRINTINO CO. the system of Malebranche, as a chapter in the history K HOUSTON. TEXAS of the Platonic tradition, deserves more consideration than it has hitherto received. I must take this occa- sion to express my gratitude to my teachers at Cornell University, and especially to Professor J. E. Creigh- ton, without whose kindly encouragement this disser- tation would never have been completed. The Author. 3S TABLE OF CONTENTS PAOB Chapter I. Introduction 5 Chapter II. Malebranche *s Psychology 12 The Faculties of the Mind 13 THE PHILOSOPHY OF MALEBRANCHE. The Senses 16 The Imagination 19 Chapter I : Introduction. Our Lack of an Idea of the Soul 25 Bouillier, in his splendid Histoire de la philosophie cartesi- enne, declares that Malebranche Chapter III. Malebranche 's Psychology (Cont.) 29 is the greatest metaphysician of France after Descartes.^ Few would contest The Natural Inclinations 29 this statement.* Now Malebranche was a member of the Congregation of the The Passions 30 ^ Oratory of Jesus. This latter may be described as an associa- tion of priests, Chapter IV. Malebranche 's Theory op Knowledge 34 devoted to prayer, study and teaching.^ Its mem- bers were not monks, and it had neither The Argument for Vision in God 34 secret constitution nor \/ solemn vows, other than those of the priesthood itself.^ They Malebranche and St. Augustine 43 were simply priests united by a common love of piety and sci- Malebranche and Locke 43 ence, living in common according to the ideals of the primitive Malebranche and Berkeley 45 church. Upon entering the Oratory, a priest did not renounce Malebranche and Arnauld 46 his liberty, but was always as free to leave as he had been to enter; and each of the members preserved a certain independ- I' Chapter V. Malebranche 's Methodology 49 ence, being permitted to devote himself to the study for which Aids to Attention 49 he felt most inclination.* The Oratory was distinguished by a Rules of Method 51 happy combination of philosophy, science, scholarship and the- ology.* Its liberal spirit is seen in the rule which dispensed a 1/ Chapter VI. Malebranche 's IMetaphysics and Theology. .57 member who showed some special aptitude for study from all Mind and Body 57 other duties.* Intelligible Extension and the Existence of God 59 The famous ecclesiastic, Bossuet, declared, in his Oraison Occasionalism 64 Funehre du P. Boiirgoing, speaking of Cardinal de BeruUe, that his * ' great love for the Church inspired him to form Image and Cleaning 66 a company to which he desired to give no other spirit than that of the Existence of Bodies 67 Church, nor other rules than the canons, nor other superiors than Chapter VII. IVIalebranche 's Metaphysics and Theology the bishops, nor other bonds than charity, nor other solemn oaths than those of baptism and priesthood, a company where (Continued) 7] a holy liberty creates a holy obligation, where there is obedience The Divine Omnipotence 71 without dependence and government without command, where The Attributes of God 73 all authority is in gentleness and where respect is not aided by The Theory of Providence 76 fear; a company in which a charity that banishes fear works a The Explanation of Evil 77 great miracle and in which with no yoke charity is able, not only to captivate, but also to annihilate ; Divine Will and Divine Reason 78 self-will a company in which to form true priests they are lead to the source of truth, where Chapter VIII. Malebranche 's System op Ethics 81 » Bouillier. op. cit., Ed. Love of the Eternal Order of 1854, Vol. II, p. 32. Henceforth referred to as BouU- 81 lier simply. Unless otherwise stated, the references are all to Vol. II. Force of Mind 87 J. Simon, in his able Introduction to his edition to the Oeuvres de Malebranche (XLIII), says: "Ce fou de MtUebranehe eat une de nos grandet gloires Liberty of Mind nationaies ; 999 89 visions mHaphysiques sont une icole de 9age99e et de profonde philo9ophie, et plai99 i Dieu pour I'honneur de la Obedience to Order philosophie et le progris de I' esprit humain, qu'U notts 91 puisse naitre den rHeurs comme lui!" Bouillier, p. 4. * Bouillier, p. 5. ; INTBODUCTION 6 THE PHILOSOPHY OF MALEBBANCHE tiana, published under the name of Ambrosius Victor, he de- they have always at hand the holy books to seek in them without velops his views at length, claiming the authority of Augustine rest the letter by the mind, the spirit by prayer, depth by re- this work is the most noteworthy predecessor of the Recherche treat, etc/'* de la verite.^^ In this Philosophia Christiana, Andre Martin ex- As Bouillier remarks, Bossuet's praise marks the difference pounds the doctrine of St. Augustine concerning God, man, ani- between the Jesuits and the Oratory.'' And just as these two mals, and concerning many other topics, but it is not difficult societies were opposed in spirit, so they were opposed in philoso- to see that it is always Descartes who is speaking through Augus- phy. Cardinal de Berulle gave the Oratory its initial tendency.^ tine.^° Thus in his Sanctus Augustinus de anima hestiarum he His admiration was, in the first place, for y St. Augustine, a fact claims to find many arguments in Augustine that support the which made the Oratory always open to suspicion of Jansenism.® Cartesian theory of animal automatism. ^° But Andre Martin is And, through St. Augustine, the Oratory came to esteem Plato above all the precursor of ^lalebranche in the way in which he V more than Aristotle even before the time of Descartes.** Thus emphasizes Augustine's version of Platonism in regard to the certain of the early Fathers of the Congregation sought to in- eternal truths and the divine ideas. ^° He held that there were, troduce the Platonic doctrine. Father Fournenc was the author in the divine mind, ideas of all creatures, just as in the mind of of a complete course of philosophy which appeared in 1665 in an artist there is an idea of his work; and that God does not which he declared his intention of uniting the spirit of Plato draw his knowledge of his creatures from his creatures them- with the true philosophy of Aristotle.® But when the Cartesian selves but from his own ideas of them." We say that we behold philosophy came into vogue the original y Platonic tendency of creatures, but in truth we behold their ideas in God, although the Oratory was at first forgotten.^ their ideas have neither extension nor figure." And, lastly, However much influence de Berulle may have exerted to the among the Oratorians before the time of Malebranche who were advantage of Plato, his friendship and admiration for Descartes followers of Descartes, we have the learned Father Poisson, who were even more influential in determining the philosophical ten.