Berkeley and Malebranche

Abstract

Abstract Among the philosophers influential to Berkeley, Malebranche is prominent. Berkeley’s many references to Malebranche in both his published and unpublished work well attest to this influence. Even in his own lifetime, Berkeley’s views about the perception of physical objects were compared to Malebranche’s “Vision in God” doctrine, and Berkeley does his best to distance himself from Malebranche on this account. However, in endorsing occasionalism, albeit a limited version, restricted to the natural changes in the physical world, Berkeley’s views converge with Malebranche’s. This chapter examines and compares the views of these two philosophers with a focus on these two topics—i.e., the “Vision in God” doctrine and occasionalism—and argues that while there are some similarities, there are significant differences as well, stemming from certain core commitments, distinct to each philosopher.