Clarifying a vague idea Being in general, from Malebranche to 18th century French materialists

I focus on the concept of being in general in order to highlight an interesting aspect of the history of Malebranchism. After reconsidering the status of Malebranche’s thinking on this point, I set out to describe the emergence of two major interpretive options among his French readers in the first half of the 18th century. This aims to provide a better understanding of how classical metaphysics may have been subject to unexpected transformations rather than being rejected as an obsolete device.