Difference between revisions of "Nicolas Malebranche" - New World Encyclopedia

Revision as of 17:09, 15 May 2006

Nicolas Malebranche (August 6, 1638 – October 13, 1715) was a French philosopher of the Cartesian school.

Life

The youngest child of Nicolas Malebranche, secretary to King Louis XIII of France, and Catherine de Lauzon, sister of a viceroy of Canada, was born in Paris. Suffering from a malformed spine and weak lungs, he received his elementary education at home, under the guidance of his mother. At 16, he left home to study at the College de la Marche, and subsequently to study theology at the Sorbonne. At the time, the curriculum of the Sorbonne was largely scholastic (centered around the works of Aristotle), which Malebranche found highly dissatisfying. In light of that experience, he joined the congregation of the Oratoire de France in 1660, having rejected an offer of a canonry at Notre-Dame. The Oratory had been founded by the Augustinian cardinal Pierre Bérulle in 1611. It was during his time there that Malebranche became immersed in the works of St. Augustine, which would deeply impact his mature philosophy. In addition, Malebranche studied ecclesiastical history, Hebrew and the Bible, but generally failed to impress his teachers. He was ordained a priest on September 14, 1664.

It was also in 1664 that Malebranche directly encountered Descartes’ work for the first time. While walking down the rue St. Jacques, he came across a posthumous edition of Descartes’ ‘’Treatise on Man’’ (‘’L’homme’’) in a bookstall. According to an early biography by Father Yves André, Malebranche was so ecstatic as he began looking at the pages that he was forced to stop reading in order to recover his breath. The following ten years of his life were spent in deep study of Cartesian philosophy, methodology, mathematics and natural philosophy.

In 1674 Malebranche published the first three books of what is probably his major work, ‘’The Search After Truth’’ (‘’De la recherche de la vérité’’), with the final three books appearing the following year. The treatise presents an extended criticism of scholastic philosophy and presents two of Malebranche’s three central doctrines: the vision in God and occasionalism. It also contains much of the material for the third doctrine, the theodicy.

Over the course of his career, Malebranche defended his system against a number of objectors, but the criticisms which were to draw to most attention came from Antoine Arnauld, whose initial approval of the work turned into some of the sharpest criticism with which Malebranche was presented. The criticism began with the publication of Arnauld’s ‘’Des vraies et des fausses idèes’’ in 1683 and ultimately resulted in both the ‘’Treatise’’ and the ‘’Search’’ being placed on the Catholic ‘’Index librorum prohibitorum’’ in 1690 and 1709 (respectively). Malebranche resolutely defended himself in writing, and the debate even continued after Arnauld’s death in 1694, due to the posthumous publication of two of Arnauld’s letters.

By the mid-1680’s, Malebranche was established as one of the major philosophical figures of the time, and corresponded with such high-profile intellectuals as Leibniz and the physicist Pierre-Sylvain Régis. He was elected to the Académie Royale des Sciences in 1699. Up until his death in 1715 at the Oratory in Paris, he continued to develop and defend his system.

Though the more extravagant metaphysical aspects of Malebranche’s views entertained an (at most) limited following, many of his arguments profoundly influenced such anti-rationalist thinkers as Berkeley and Hume.

‘’The Search’’ went through six editions in Malebranche’s lifetime, during which he added a significant amount of material in response to objections which from Cartesians and scholastics alike. Over the next forty years, Malebranche developed the philosophical ideas presented in the ‘’Search’’ in a number of works, beginning with the ‘’Conversations chrétiennes’’ in 1677 (a dialogue emphasizing our dependence on God for both knowledge and happiness), ‘’Traité de la nature et da la grace’’ in 1680 (which offered a more detailed account of Malebranche’s views of theodicy and divine activity), and the ‘’Méditations chretiennes et métaphysiques’’ in 1683 (where the system is presented with an emphasis on the centrality of God in both metaphysics and morality). The 1688 ‘’Entretiens sur la métaphysique et la religion’’ (often translated as ‘’Dialogues on Metaphysics’’) is perhaps the most accessible presentation of the system, consisting 14 dialogues presenting a more mature version of Malebranche’s doctrines of vision in God, occasionalism and theodicy. In addition to his philosophical and theological work, Malebranche published on a variety of topics in mathmatics and natural philosophy. The current edition of his work includes 20 volumes.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

A full account by Mrs Norman Smith of his theory of vision, in which he unquestionably anticipated and in some respects surpassed the subsequent work of Berkeley, will be found in the British Journal of Psychology (Jan. 1905).
H Joly, in the series Les Grands philosophes (Paris, 1901)
Laprune, La Philosophie de Malebranche (1870)
M Novaro, De Philosophie des Nicolaus Malebranche (1893)

External links

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

Nicolas Malebranche ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

History of "Nicolas Malebranche"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 ==Life==
-The youngest child of [[Nicolas Malebranche (secretary)|Nicolas Malebranche]], secretary to King [[Louis XIII of France]], and [[Catherine de Lauzon]], sister of a viceroy of [[Canada]], was born in Paris.  Deformed and frail, he received his elementary education from a tutor, and left home only when ready to enter upon a course of philosophy at the [[College de la Marche]], and subsequently to study theology at the [[Collège de Sorbonne|Sorbonne]]. He had resolved to take holy orders, but his academic disposition led him to decline a stall in [[Notre Dame]], and in [[1660]] he joined the congregation of the [[Oratoire de France]]. He was first advised to devote himself to ecclesiastical history, and laboriously studied [[Eusebius of Caesarea]], [[Socrates]], [[Sozomen]] and [[Theodoret]], but "the facts refused to arrange themselves in his mind, and mutually effaced one another." [[Richard Simon]] attempted unsuccessfully to teach him [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] and Biblical criticism .
+The youngest child of Nicolas Malebranche, secretary to King [[Louis XIII of France]], and Catherine de Lauzon, sister of a viceroy of [[Canada]], was born in Paris.  Suffering from a malformed spine and weak lungs, he received his elementary education at home, under the guidance of his mother.  At 16, he left home to study at the [[College de la Marche]], and subsequently to study theology at the [[Collège de Sorbonne|Sorbonne]].  At the time, the curriculum of the Sorbonne was largely scholastic (centered around the works of [[Aristotle]]), which Malebranche found highly dissatisfying.  In light of that experience, he joined the congregation of the Oratoire de France in 1660, having rejected an offer of a canonry at Notre-Dame.  The Oratory had been founded by the Augustinian cardinal Pierre Bérulle in 1611.  It was during his time there that Malebranche became immersed in the works of St. Augustine, which would deeply impact his mature philosophy.  In addition, Malebranche studied ecclesiastical history, Hebrew and the Bible, but generally failed to impress his teachers.  He was ordained a priest on September 14, 1664.
-At last in [[1664]] he happened to read Descartes's ''Traité de l'homme'' (''de homine''), which moved him so deeply that he claimed to be repeatedly compelled by palpitations of the heart to lay aside his reading. Malebranche was from that hour consecrated to philosophy, and after ten years' study of the works of Descartes he produced the famous ''De la recherche de la vérité'', followed at intervals by other works, both speculative and controversial. Like most of the great [[metaphysics|metaphysicians]] of the [[17th century]], Malebranche interested himself also in questions of mathematics and natural philosophy, and in [[1699]] was admitted an honorary member of the [[French Academy of Sciences|Academy of Sciences]].
+It was also in 1664 that Malebranche directly encountered Descartes’ work for the first time.  While walking down the rue St. Jacques, he came across a posthumous edition of Descartes’ ‘’Treatise on Man’’ (‘’L’homme’’) in a bookstall.  According to an early biography by Father Yves André, Malebranche was so ecstatic as he began looking at the pages that he was forced to stop reading in order to recover his breath.  The following ten years of his life were spent in deep study of Cartesian philosophy, methodology, mathematics and natural philosophy.
-The influence of Descartes is very clear in the following passage from "Entretiens sur la Metaphysique," "We must follow reason despite the caresses, the threats and the insults of the body to which we are conjoined, despite the action of the objects that surround us....I exhort you to recognize the difference there is between knowing and feeling, between our clear ideas, and our sensations always obscure and confused."
+In 1674 Malebranche published the first three books of what is probably his major work, ‘’The Search After Truth’’ (‘’De la recherche de la vérité’’), with the final three books appearing the following year.  The treatise presents an extended criticism of scholastic philosophy and presents two of Malebranche’s three central doctrines: the vision in God and occasionalism.  It also contains much of the material for the third doctrine, the theodicy.
-Late in life, other scholars with whom he was in dispute noticed similarities between his views and those of [[Baruch Spinoza]] and charged him with being, like Spinoza, a [[pantheist]]. Malebranche indignantly denied these charges and maintained the Roman Catholic orthodoxy of his own opinions.
+Over the course of his career, Malebranche defended his system against a number of objectors, but the criticisms which were to draw to most attention came from [[Arnauld|Antoine Arnauld]], whose initial approval of the work turned into some of the sharpest criticism with which Malebranche was presented.  The criticism began with the publication of Arnauld’s ‘’Des vraies et des fausses idèes’’ in 1683 and ultimately resulted in both the ‘’Treatise’’ and the ‘’Search’’ being placed on the Catholic ‘’Index librorum prohibitorum’’ in 1690 and 1709 (respectively).  Malebranche resolutely defended himself in writing, and the debate even continued after Arnauld’s death in 1694, due to the posthumous publication of two of Arnauld’s letters.
-During his later years his society was much courted, and he received many visits from foreigners of distinction. His death was said to have been hastened by a metaphysical argument into which he had been drawn in the course of an interview with Bishop [[George Berkeley]].
+By the mid-1680’s, Malebranche was established as one of the major philosophical figures of the time, and corresponded with such high-profile intellectuals as Leibniz and the physicist Pierre-Sylvain Régis.  He was elected to the Académie Royale des Sciences in 1699.  Up until his death in 1715 at the Oratory in Paris, he continued to develop and defend his system.
+Though the more extravagant metaphysical aspects of Malebranche’s views entertained an (at most) limited following, many of his arguments profoundly influenced such anti-rationalist thinkers as Berkeley and Hume.
+‘’The Search’’ went through six editions in Malebranche’s lifetime, during which he added a significant amount of material in response to objections which from Cartesians and scholastics alike.  Over the next forty years, Malebranche developed the philosophical ideas presented in the ‘’Search’’ in a  number of works, beginning with the ‘’Conversations chrétiennes’’ in 1677 (a dialogue emphasizing our dependence on God for both knowledge and happiness), ‘’Traité de la nature et da la grace’’ in 1680 (which offered a more detailed account of Malebranche’s views of theodicy and divine activity), and the ‘’Méditations chretiennes et métaphysiques’’ in 1683 (where the system is presented with an emphasis on the centrality of God in both metaphysics and morality).  The 1688 ‘’Entretiens sur la métaphysique et la religion’’ (often translated as ‘’Dialogues on Metaphysics’’) is perhaps the most accessible presentation of the system, consisting 14 dialogues presenting a more mature version of Malebranche’s doctrines of vision in God, occasionalism and theodicy.  In addition to his philosophical and theological work, Malebranche published on a variety of topics in mathmatics and natural philosophy.  The current edition of his work includes 20 volumes.
 == References ==