Rational Reconstruction and Hermeneutic Equity: Christian Wolff’s Interpretation of Occasionalism

In this paper, I consider Wolff’s method of interpretation from the point of view of its actual realization rather than its general theoretical presentations. In particular, I focus on the complicated affair of Wolff’s occasionalism, that is, on his reception, critique, and reworking of what he calls the system of occasional causes. My aim is to show that Wolff’s analysis of occasionalist philosophy constitutes a paradigmatic case of the kind of hermeneutic procedure that nowadays would be described as rational reconstruction, so as to distinguish it from purely historical or exegetical reconstruction.