Activity Quote by Arthur Schopenhauer
“Malebranche teaches that we see all things in God himself. This is certainly equivalent to explaining something unknown by something even more unknown. Moreover, according to him, we see not only all things in God, but God is also the sole activity therein, so that physical causes are so only apparently; they are merely occasional causes. ( Recherches de la vérité , Livre VI, seconde partie, chap. 3.) And so here we have essentially the pantheism of Spinoza who appears to have learned more from Malebranche than from Descartes.”
About This Quote
Malebranche suggests all perception is through God, making physical causes appear occasional, akin to Spinoza’s pantheism.
In simple terms: We see everything through God, making causes seem occasional.
Key Takeaway
Recognize deeper unity behind appearances.
Themes
theology
philosophy
metaphysics
Mood
thoughtful
intellectual
Type
philosophical
theoretical
When to use this quote
- spiritual contemplation
- academic study
- personal belief
Key Concepts
pantheism
causality
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this view affect your understanding of causality?
- Can you reconcile this with scientific explanations?
A Different Perspective
Complex theology may be inaccessible to many.
![“The impersonal aspect [of God] (Nirakara, Nirguna) is called Brahman, or 'unknowable' by Herbert Spencer, 'will' by Schopenhauer, Absolute Noumenon by some 'substance' by Spinoza. The personal aspect (Sakara) of that Being is termed 'Ishvara' or Allah, Hari, Jehova, Father in Heaven, Buddha, Siva…” quote by Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1cf/sivananda-7251_absolutes_the-impersonal-aspect-of-god-nirakara-ni_611295.jpg)
![“[T]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres.” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/be6/arthur-schopenhauer-226_addresses_t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between_32897.jpg)
![“[Materialism] seeks the primary and most simple state of matter, and then tries to develop all the others from it; ascending from mere mechanism, to chemism, to polarity, to the vegetable and to the animal kingdom. And if we suppose this to have been done, the last link in the chain would be…” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/88c/arthur-schopenhauer-226_animal-kingdom_materialism-seeks-the-primary-and-most-s_50402.jpg)
