How did Arnold Geulincx develop a deterministic form of Cartesian ethics?

Arnold Geulincx developed a deterministic form of Cartesian ethics by integrating his doctrine of occasionalism with a Stoic-inspired emphasis on humility and obedience to God’s will.12

While René Descartes maintained that the human will is free to choose and cause actions, Geulincx argued that because mind and body are distinct substances, they cannot interact directly. Instead, he posited that God mediates all interaction; human willing serves merely as an "occasion" for God to produce bodily actions. Consequently, Geulincx concluded that individuals cannot truly cause their own actions, as they are ultimately dependent on the Creator.132

In this framework, Geulincx’s ethics are defined by:
* Acceptance: Since one can only perform what God has willed, virtue lies in the humble, diligent, and obedient acceptance of God’s decrees through reason.1
* Rejection of Egotism: Sin and evil are viewed as futile, egotistic attempts to stand against the divine order.1
* Determinism: His system is as deterministic as Cartesian physics, reflecting an affinity for the predestinarian views found in Calvinism and Jansenism.12