Nicholas Malebranche, On Witchcraft

Nicholas Malebranche, An Excerpt from Search After Truth

Perry Sourcebook, Vol. 1 [pp. 355-357]

The Cartesian rationalist Nicholas Malebranche believed widespread fears of witchcraft to be a misguided, but understandable outlet of frustration for those exploited by society. Nevertheless, he, too, believed that witches were a real problem for society

A rationalist perspective
Malebranche was a student of Descartes, and he carried the same belief in a rational world
Thus, he looks at the social factors of France in a distinctly objective manner, quite literally projecting them onto his idea of a Cartesian coordinate system

Malebranche's analysis: the causes of witch paranoia
1. Local beliefs: many local cultures still retained a "pagan" understanding of the world, which often included witchcraft.
2. A negative view of life: Malebranche describes witchcraft as an "invisible power which thinks only about harming [those affected]." For the rural poor who so often accused people of witchcraft, life (and its cruel outcomes) was often determined by these outside forces. Thus, witches became an easy scapegoat.
3. Oral tradition: "Superstitions are not easily destroyed," Malebranche writes. Because these beliefs were passed down from generation to generation, they were deeply entrenched in the consciences of

Implications
Malebranche explores a more objective branch of social science, but still himself believes that witches exist.
In this sense, this phase of early Modern Europe has not fully embraced a rationalist perspective--it still lies somewhere in-between