Malebranche on the Senses and Sensation

Malebranche argues that the senses are systematically deceptive. When we look at a field of grass, we experience its greenness as something that exists out there in the world and in the grass. According to Malebranche, however, colour and other sensible qualities exist only in the soul that senses them. Malebranche has compelling reasons for relocating sensible qualities in the soul, which flow from his austere conception of the material world in combination with his relational account of intentionality. But this relocation generates two problems. First, if sensible qualities modify the soul, how is it that we misleadingly experience them as modifying bodies? Second, why would a non-deceiving God endow us with senses that are systematically misleading in this way? Malebranche addresses the first problem by appealing to his account of natural judgments to explain the construction and contents of sensory experience. He addresses the second by arguing that the purpose of the senses is to serve as tools for acting in the world, rather than as instruments designed for detecting the truth about the world.