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occasional cause

occasional cause An occasional cause is, in occasionalism, an event in mind or matter that does not directly produce a change in the other but serves as the occasion for God to bring about the corresponding change.

An occasional cause is, in occasionalism, an event in mind or matter that does not directly produce a change in the other but serves as the occasion for God to bring about the corresponding change. Thus each side is treated as only the cue for the other, not its true efficient cause.

Also see

Sources

Drafting source: Baldwin Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1901. 1901 New York Macmillan original; archive index checked 2026-10-18. “Occasionalism” (Occasionalism).
public-domain-US · Definition uses new wording; original source retains its stated licence. · Source snapshot SHA-256: 5a57909eff5bb21c5fc893568ecad4daa30a977d19eddbffe60ce089d1f49f87

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PsychTerms (psychterms.org), CC BY 4.0, version 1. “occasional cause.” Development preview.

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