A God who must perpetually intervene at each 'occasion' is less perfect than one who endows creatures with inherent causal natures, as Leibniz argued against Malebranche in the Discourse on Metaphysics.

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Reasons For

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Reason for

1.A perfect being would create a cosmos displaying elegant self-sufficiency rather than requiring constant divine micromanagement.
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2.Creatures with genuine causal powers better explains moral responsibility than pure occasionalism, which God alone truly acts.
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3.An infinitely powerful God can establish natural laws once that unfold perfectly, demonstrating greater mastery than endless intervention.
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Reasons Against

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Reason against

1.Leibniz's solution creates the problem of pre-established harmony: how can monads causally isolated from birth act in perfect coordination?
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2.Occasionalism better preserves divine omnipotence and omniscience by maintaining God's direct causal control over all events.
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3.Creatures with 'inherent natures' risk limiting God's perfection by positing powers independent of divine will, compromising aseity.
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Key Terms

Discourse on Metaphysics(as the title of a philosophical work): An important book written by Leibniz explaining his views about God, the nature of reality, and how the world works.
Inherent causal natures(as Leibniz's alternative to God's constant intervention): Built-in powers or abilities that things possess naturally, allowing them to cause effects on their own without outside help.
Leibniz: Leibniz is a German philosopher and mathematician from the 1600s-1700s who developed calculus (a powerful math tool for measuring change and areas) independently around the same time as Isaac Newton. He's famous for creating much of the notation we still use in mathematics today and for arguing that everything in the universe follows logical principles. His ideas profoundly influenced modern science, mathematics, and philosophy, making him one of history's most important thinkers.
Malebranche: Nicolas Malebranche was a 17th-century French philosopher who developed the idea that God is the only true cause of everything that happens in the world, and that our minds and bodies don't directly interact but are coordinated by God like two synchronized clocks. He's important because his unusual theory tried to solve the puzzle of how a non-physical mind can affect a physical body, and his ideas influenced later European philosophy. His work represents one of the most creative attempts in Western thought to explain the relationship between mind and matter.
Occasion(Edwards's occasionalist reinterpretation of second causation): The circumstance or event upon which God chooses to produce a particular effect, in accordance with God's customary methods and laws, but without being a real causal contributor to that effect.
Perfect(describing the nature of God): In philosophy, having all positive qualities in the highest degree, with no flaws or limitations.
Perpetually intervene(describing God's role in the world): To constantly step in and directly make things happen, rather than letting them happen naturally on their own.

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Causation1 linked Divine Attributes1 linked

A perfect being would create a cosmos displaying elegant self-sufficiency rather...An infinitely powerful God can establish natural laws once that unfold perfectly...

Details

Type: claim
Perspectives: 2 (1 for, 1 against)
Edits: 1 edit