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Fisher Affiliation: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA Article Metrics Article contents Extract References Get access Share Cite Rights & Permissions[Opens in a new window] Extract The famous Cartesian Nicolas Malebranche (1638-1715) espoused the occasionalist doctrine that ‘there is only one true cause because there is only one true God; that the nature or power of each thing is nothing but the will of God; that all natural causes are not true causes but only occasional causes’ (LO, 448, original italics). One of Malebranche's well-known arguments for occasionalism, known as, the ‘no necessary connection’ argument (or, NNC) stems from the principle that ‘a true cause… is one such that the mind perceives a necessary connection between it and its effect’ (LO, 450). Type Research Article Information Canadian Journal of Philosophy , Volume 41 , Issue 4 , December 2011 , pp. 523 - 548 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/cjp.2011.0043[Opens in a new window] Copyright Copyright © The Authors 2011 Access options Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. If you should have access and can't see this content please contact technical support. References Bennett, J. 1984. A Study of Spinoza's Ethics. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett.Google Scholar Bennett, J. 1996. ‘Spinoza's Metaphysics.’ In The Cambridge Companion to Spinoza, Garrett, D. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar Church, R. 1970. A Study in the Philosophy of Malebranche. London: George Allen and Unwin.Google Scholar Cunning, D. 2008. ‘Malebranche and Occasional Causes.’ Philosophy Compass 3: 471–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar Curley, E. 1969. Spinoza's Metaphysics: An Essay in Interpretation. 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