''Causa sui'' (; ) is a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

term that denotes something that is generated within itself. Used in relation to the purpose that objects can assign to themselves, the concept was central to the works of

Baruch Spinoza Baruch (de) Spinoza (24 November 163221 February 1677), also known under his Latinized pen name Benedictus de Spinoza, was a philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, who was born in the Dutch Republic. A forerunner of the Age of Enlightenmen ...

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

, and Ernest Becker.

In social science

In Freud and Becker's case, the concept was often used as an immortality vessel, whereby something could create meaning, or continue to create meaning, beyond its own life. Norman O. Brown, in his acclaimed '' Life Against Death,'' argues Freud's Oedipal complex is essentially the ''causa sui'' ("father-of-oneself") project, where, after the traumatic recognition that the subject is separate from the mother — that they are 'other' — they seek for reunification with the mother.

In theism

In traditional Western theism, even though God cannot be created by any other force or being, he cannot be defined as ''causa sui'' because such would imply the Spinozian

pantheistic Pantheism can refer to a number of Philosophy, philosophical and Religion, religious beliefs, such as the belief that the universe is God, or panentheism, the belief in a non-corporeal divine intelligence or God out of which the universe arise ...

idea of 'becoming', which contrasts with the belief of scholastic theology that God is incapable of changing.

The Catholic concept of...God as absolutely independent and self-existent by nature, and, consequently, all-perfect without any possibility of change from all eternity, is altogether opposed to the pantheistic concept of absolute or pure being
hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
evolves, determines, and realizes itself through all time.

Changing implies development, and since God is to be considered the Absolute Perfection, there is no further need to change: he is the so-called '' actus purus'', or

aseity Aseity (from Latin "from" and "self", plus '' -ity'') (self-existence, self-causation, self-causality and autocausality) is the property by which a being exists of and from itself. It refers to the monotheistic belief that God does not depend o ...

. Instead, the recent

process theology Process theology is a type of theology developed from Alfred North Whitehead's (1861–1947) process philosophy, but most notably by Charles Hartshorne (1897–2000), John B. Cobb (1925–2024), and Eugene H. Peters (1929–1983). Process ...

inserts this concept among the

attributes of God in Christianity The attributes of God are specific characteristics of God discussed in Christian theology. These include omniscience (the ability to know everything), omnipotence (the ability to do anything), and omnipresence (the ability to be present every ...

. On the other hand, in the

Japji Sahib ''Japji Sahib'' (, pronunciation: ) is the Sikh thesis, that appears at the beginning of the '' Guru Granth Sahib'' – the scripture of the Sikhs. ''Jap'' is the original name of the prayer and to show respect, it is called ''Jap ji Sahib''. I ...

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...

(the founder of

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

) defined God as self-existent.

References

Latin philosophical phrases Ontology Concepts in metaphysics {{Psychology-stub

In social science

In theism

See also

References