Catholic Dictionary

Term

SECONDARY CAUSE

Definition

A created cause that is totally dependent on the First Cause, who is God. It is a cause that can produce a certain kind of effect but cannot produce the being or existence of the effect.

See Also: CAUSE, See Also: EFFICIENT CAUSE, See Also: FINAL CAUSE, See Also: FIRST CAUSE, See Also: FORMAL CAUSE, See Also: FREE CAUSE, See Also: MATERIAL CAUSE, See Also: MORAL CAUSE, See Also: NECESSARY CAUSE