The relationship between God and the world extends beyond the act of creation itself. We reject the view that, after creating the world, God lost interest and abandoned it. The world must remain perpetually connected to the source of its existence – one of the main metaphysical reasons Descartes gave for the existence of Providence.

Providence may be either general or particular in nature. The idea of a particular Providence is that God actually intervenes in the affairs of the world, directing human events and holding the reins of all empires and souls. Bossuet developed and applied this theory in his Discourse on Universal History.

To attribute this faculty to God, however, is to deny human freedom and reduce the majesty of the divine. According to this theory, man is but a means in the hands of God. We no longer do what we will but do what God wills for us. Thus it is that in his Discourse Bossuet depicts all peoples converging around an end that they don't even suspect – the glory of God. Bossuet accepts that human freedom and divine Providence are equally true but irreconcilable. Yet in our view philosophy can't resign itself to this contradiction. The idea of the quotidian intervention of the Creator in the affairs of his creatures also reduces the majesty of the divine, exalting the power of God at the expense of His dignity. So we can't accept the theory of a particular Providence.