Malebranche (Nicolas Malebranche)

Nicolas Malebranche was a French philosopher and theologian from the 17th century, known for his ideas about how we perceive and understand the world. He believed that our knowledge of external objects comes through a special kind of divine intervention—God directly causes our perceptions when we observe. According to Malebranche, we do not see objects themselves but only our ideas of them, which are given to us by God. This view emphasizes the importance of God's role in our perception and knowledge, blending philosophy with religious belief to explore how humans connect with reality.