Occasionalism: Causation Among the Cartesians. BY STEVEN NADLER. (Oxford UP, 2011.

Pp. xii + 207. Price £37.00.)

This book is a collection of some of Steven Nadler’s seminal work that focuses onthe topic of occasionalism in the early modern period. Included in this volumeare previously published journal articles and book chapters (postscripts attachedto two of the essays are new and have not been previously published) — the ear-liest pieces in this collection originally published in 1993, the latest piece in 2005.The collection spans more than twelve years of fine research.

Nadler’s work is important. Anyone doing research on the topic of occasional-ism in the early modern period, or on related topics such as concurrentism andcausation, must take into consideration Nadler’s views. In fact, this reviewer lookedthrough the most recently published books, journal articles, and doctoral disserta-tions dedicated to the topics of occasionalism and causation (as each evolved in theearly modern period) and not surprisingly found Nadler’s work front and center ineach. His views on occasionalism and causality are carefully developed in light ofcertain central figures living in the period such as Descartes, Malebranche, Ar-nauld, and even Hume, but also extends to several lesser known figures such asCordemoy, de la Forge, and Geulincx. Nadler also focuses on the differences thatLeibniz drew between his doctrine of pre-established harmony and Malebranche’sdoctrine of occasionalism. So, there is much more in the way of rich scholarship inthese essays than the title of the collection suggests. And although Nadler’s viewshave been (and continue to be) challenged by scholars, no one who does seriouswork in this field of study can deny the value of his contributions.

A primary theme common to all of the essays is Nadler’s rejection of the‘myth’, as he calls it, that has emerged concerning the impetus behind the devel-opment of occasionalism in the early modern period, a myth whose origin (inpart) Nadler traces to Leibniz. The alleged myth claims that occasionalism aroseprincipally as an ad hoc response (and solution) to the Cartesian mind-bodyproblem. Nadler shows that occasionalism in fact has it roots in earlier medievalphilosophical systems (and so it does not simply appear out of nowhere in theseventeenth century), that there is not just one doctrine of occasionalism but aninteresting variety, and, in connection to this, that there are many differentarguments in support of occasionalism, none of them related specifically to theCartesian mind-body problem.

If we take the history of philosophy to be a continuum, where history is at oneend and philosophy at the other, it is easy to find works that fall closer to oneend than to the other. The best history of philosophy, in my opinion, is found inwork that falls close to center. Nadler’s work falls close to center. Readers alsowill find Nadler to be among the most clear, cogent, and compelling of writersworking in the history of philosophy. For those whose research specifically focuseson occasionalism, concurrentism, or causality (in the early modern period), thisbook is for them.

KURT SMITHBloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

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