Editing Nicolas Malebranche (section)

===Malebranche's dualism===
Whereas Malebranche followed [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]] in his description of intellectual [[knowledge]], in his approach to [[mind–body problem]]s he began as a follower of [[Descartes]].  But in contrast to Descartes, who considered it possible to form a clear and distinct idea of the mind, Malebranche argues in the ''[[Dialogues on Metaphysics]]'', a dialogue between Theodore and Aristes, that we do not have a complete conception of the powers of the mind, and thus no clear conception of the nature of the mind.

<blockquote>I am unable, when I turn to myself, to recognize any of my faculties or my capacities.  The inner sensation which I have of myself informs me that I am, that I think, that I [[will (philosophy)|will]], that I have [[Sensation and perception psychology|sensory awareness]], that I [[suffering|suffer]], and so on; but it provides me with no [[knowledge]] whatever of ''what'' I am – of the nature of my [[thought]], my sensations, my [[Passions (philosophy)|passion]]s, or my [[pain]] – or of the mutual relations that obtain between all these things. ...I have no idea whatever of my soul.<ref name=meta_dia>{{Citation
  | last = Malebranche
  | first = Nicolas
  | author-link =
  | editor-last = Cottingham
  | editor-first = John
  | title = Dialogues on Metaphysics [Entretiens sur la métaphysique, 1688] in ''Western Philosophy, An Anthology''
  | place =
  | publisher = Blackwell
  | year = 1996
  | pages = 155–156
  | volume = Dialogue III
  | edition =
  | url =
  | doi =
  | id =
  | isbn = 0-631-18627-1}}</ref></blockquote>

This leads Theodore to declare that 'I am not my own light to myself'; the nature of our own minds is highly obscure.  What is more, with regard to psycho-physical interaction, Malebranche argues that body could not act on mind, nor mind on body. The only active power (hence the only efficient cause of change in the world) is God. When I will that my arm should rise, my volition is the "occasion" or the "occasional cause" of the movement of my arm; the efficient cause of both my volition and the movement of my arm is God. Malebranche's doctrine, which could be found in contemporary commentaries on Aristotle, and which first appeared in certain Arab philosophers, is therefore called "occasionalism".<ref name=meta_dia />