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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Highly Intelligent
An influential writer of philosophy and just about everything else.These complete works are an essential component to any thinking person's library.I highly recommend this collection.

It's all of Berkeley - what more can you ask?
Since Berkeley is best remembered as a philosopher and it is therefore highly likely that anyone interested in this is interested in that part of Berkeley's collected works, that is where I will focus this review.

The most important work of Berkeley is "A Treatise Concerning the Principals of Human Knowledge [Part I]" (there is no part II - the partial manuscript for it was lost while Berkeley was travelling). "Principals" has two principal sections: one epistemological and the other metaphysical.

In the epistemological section of "Principals", Berkeley argued that when we use words to describe entities which we literally cannot imagine, we block our own understanding - "that we have first raised a dust and then complain we cannot see." We can use words to stand for a multiplicity of different entities (such as "triangle" to stand for all possible triangles), but that an abstract triangle, one that is "neither oblique nor rectangle, neither equilateral, equicrural, nor scalenon, but all and none of these at once", (here he was quoting Locke) is an impossibility. The significance of this is subtle, but critical to his argument since he came back to it again and again throughout his works to differentiate between meaningful and meaningless words.

Having laid out a differentiation between meaningful and meaningless words in his epistemological section, Berkeley then proceeded to the metaphysical section, in which he attacked the idea of matter, principally as expounded by Locke. Berkeley argued that matter is a meaningless word, signifying nothing that we can imagine. He argued that all of the properties that materialists ascribe to matter are either perceptions (non-existent in the absence of a perceiver) or utterly meaningless. Thus, Berkeley argued that a theory of matter to account for our perceptions was a meaningless proposition. Our perceptions of the world (our ideas of it), however, still required an explanation. To this end, Berkeley argued the things we perceive are ideas that are put into our minds by God. They differ from things that we imagine by our lack of control over them, and in their consistency and vividness - properties that are the result of their being the product of a mind other than and vastly more powerful than our own. In this argument, Berkeley felt that he had discovered a powerful counter to atheism, that his theistic idealism could account for the world whereas atheism, with its dependency on matter, could not.

"Principals" did not meet with the acceptance that Berkeley had hoped for it (to say the least), so he presented his metaphysics again in a more accessible form in "Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous." "Dialogs" is easier to read, but not as good a source as "Principals" for really understanding Berkeley. In either form, the critical side of his argument against matter had and has great force, even if his proposed alternative has never attracted many adherents.

Berkeley also presented his metaphysics again in less detail in two other works: the fourth dialogue in "Alciphron; or, the Minute Philosopher" and in "The Theory of Vision, or Visual Language, Shewing the Immediate Presence and Providence of a Deity."

"Commonplace Book - Berkeley's notes from 1705-08." is a collection of short notes that Berkeley jotted down while he was working through his philosophical ideas and preparing to publish them. "Commonplace Book" itself was never intended for publication but is of interest in understanding how Berkeley's thought developed.

Berkeley also wrote on scientific matters, consistent with his views as laid out in "Principals", on vision in "An Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision", (which he actually wrote before "Principals" which he hoped would soften the audience for the presentation of the full theory in "Principals" and also in "De Motu" (On Motion).

Berkeley also wrote on mathematics, again consistently with his philosophical writings in "The Analyst; or a Discourse Addressed to an Infidel Mathematician" and the follow-on works "A Defense of Free-Thinking in Mathematics" and "Reasons for not Replying to Mr. Walton's Full Answer". "The Analyst" - an attack on the foundations of Newton's calculus, set off a furor in British mathematics that lasted a century.

"Alciphron" alluded to earlier, was a work of Christian apologetics, and was Berkeley's longest work. It is not without interest today, but it has not aged as well as his other works mentioned above.

"Passive Obedience: or The Christian Doctrine of not resisting the Supreme Power", was a work of political philosophy. It is not at all connected with his other philosophical works and was regarded as dangerous and somewhat subversive.

The last work of Berkeley that deserves individual mention is "Siris: A Chain of Philosophical Reflexions and Inquiries Concerning the Virtues of Tar-Water and Divers Other Subjects Connected Together and Rising From One Another", a curious (to put it mildly) work on both "tar-water", which Berkeley held to be a panacea, and metaphysical speculation inspired by reading classical sources (if you don't know what tar-water is, don't worry - you can get the recipe in "Siris"). "Siris" was written near the end of Berkeley's life. The metaphysical speculation in it did not constitute an abandonment of his earlier ideas, but it did not strike me as at all developed - he was going somewhere new but had not yet arrived when he wrote it.

Apart from his intellectual endeavors above, Berkeley also led a full life and was an active Anglican clergyman. He travelled, wrote on purely religious matters, and also wrote in support of social justice and tolerance. These works round out the man, as does "Life of Berkeley", Fraser's biographical essay at the start of the collection.

The collection is not without its flaws. Chief among these is that "De Motu" is left in Latin and untranslated both it and "The Analyst" really require more extensive introductions to be easily understood by a contemporary reader. Douglas Jesseph's "De Motu and The Analyst", Volume 41 of "The New Syntheses Historical Library" is a highly recommended supplement to the "Works".

A Great Collection
So what do you get for your money?

Volume I:

Life of Berkeley - by Fraser.

Commonplace Book - Berkeley's notes from 1705-08.

An Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision.

A Treatise Concerning the Principals ofHuman Knowledge [Part I].

Three Dialogs Between Hylas and Philonous.

DeMotu - this is in Latin and is NOT translated.

Volume II:

Alciphron;or, the Minute Philosopher.

The Theory of Vsion, or Visual Language,Shewing the Immediate Presence and Providence of a Deity.

VolumeIII:

The Analyst; or a Discourse Addressed to an InfidelMathemetician.

A Defense of Free-Thinking in Mathematics.

Reasons fornot Replying to Mr. Walton's Full Answer.

Siris: A Chain of PhilosophicalReflexions and Inquiries Concerning the Virtues of Tar-Water and DiversOther Subjects Connected Together and Rising From One Another.

ThreeLetters to Thomas Prior, Esq., and a Letter to the Rev. Dr. Hales, on theVirtues of Tar-Water.

Farther Thoughts on Tar-Water.

VolumeIV:

Arithmetica Absque Algebra Aut Euclide Demonstrata -this is inLatin and is NOT translated.

Miscella Mathematica... - this is in Latinand is NOT translated.

Description of the Cave of Dunmore.

TheRevelation of Life and Immortality.

Passive Obedience: or The ChristianDoctrine of not resisting the Supreme Power...

Essays in theGuardian.

Two Sermons Preached at Leghorn in 1714.

Journal in Italy in1717, 1718.

An Essay Toward Preventing the Ruin of GreatBritain.

Verses on the Prospect of Planting Arts and Learning inAmerica.

Notes of Sermons Preached at Newport in Rhode Island and in theNarragansett country in 1729-31.

A Sermon Preached before theIncorporating Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in ForeignParts...1732.

The Querist, containing several queries, proposed to theconsideration of the public.

A Discourse Addressed to Magistrates and Menin Authority.

Primary Visitation Charge Delivered to the Clergy of theDiocese of Cloyne.

Address on Confirmation.

A Letter to Sir John James,Bart., on the Differences Between the Roman and Anglican Churches.

TwoLetters on the Occasion of the Rebellion in 1745.

A Word to the Wise: or,an Exhortation to the Roman Catholic Clergy of Ireland.

Maxims ConcerningPatriotism.

Appendix: The First Edition of the Querist.

GeneralComments:

The books are very well produced. Cloth bound, acid-free paper,burgundy colored, with a simple and elegant design. All in all, this is ahandsome edition that will physically grace your library.

Fraser'scommentary and footnotes are helpful and abundant (note: this is a reprintof a 1901 work, so there is of course no commentary on how Berkeley hasbeen read in this century).

The only thing I would have wanted differentthan what I got would have been translations of the Latin essays intoEnglish.

Insofar as Berkeley the philosopher, he is one of the majorphilosophers of history, and one of the clearest writers. He is also oftenscathingly funny. ... Read more

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One of the greatest British philosophers, Bishop Berkeley (1685 1753) was the founder of the influential doctrine of Immaterialism the belief that there is no reality outside the mind, and that the existence of material objects depends upon their being perceived. The Principles of Human Knowledge eloquently outlines this philosophical concept, and argues forcefully that the world consists purely of finite minds and ideas, and of an infinite spirit, God. A denial of all non-spiritual reality, Berkeley's theory was at first heavily criticized by his contemporaries, who feared its ideas would lead to scepticism and atheism. The Three Dialogues provide a powerful response to these fears. ... Read more

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Excellent edition
The main text of any edition of Principles/Three Dialogues will be virtually the same, but this one is especially good for its superb introduction, by Roger Woolhouse. I can't imagine that there is anywhere a better short introduction to Berkeley's thought, the issues that motivated his work, and where he fits into the history of philosophy both before and after his time.

Berkeley really was a radical thinker, following the premises of others, like Descartes and Locke, to their logical, and deeply troubling, implications. He was out to defeat skepticism, which he saw as corrosive of religion, yet ended up a primary representative of the skeptical view. As Woolhouse points out, modern phenomenalism can find roots in Berkeley, and perhaps even the logical empiricism of the Vienna Circle.If someone were just starting out reading Western philosophy and wondered where to begin, I would recommendBerkeley as the best place to start.

Immaterialism and Common Sense
George Berkeley's early 18th century treatise "Of the Principles of Human Knowledge" was written in response to the current popular philosophical leanings of Locke, Descartes, Hobbes, Malebranche, and others. Berkeley's major problem with the philosophy of his age was in its materialist leanings. Berkeley at base had issues with the indefinite nature of philosophical terminology, and the ways in which the foundations of knowledge seemed to be centered on unknowable concepts like 'abstract truths,' 'matter,' and 'absolute' entities. The solution?

Berkeley reasons that philosophy has gotten away from common sense, and that the way to make philosophy and natural science more accessible is to use the vocabulary and understanding of the 'vulgar' masses. Berkeley's philosophy is called Immaterialism. He holds that the only things that can properly be said to exist are 'ideas' and 'spirits.' Ideas are all objects perceived by our five senses or by logic and inference from those objects. Spirits are our minds or souls, those things that perceive, think, and exercise will. He says that all other philosophical terminology only tends to confuse us. We cannot doubt the real existence of anything in the world, because we see, feel, hear, touch, and taste these things every day. What we can doubt are philosophical quandaries like abstract ideas - for existence, while we can think of a particular person in motion, we can neither conceive of a person in abstract nor of motion in general. This, Berkeley contends, is all that common sense gives to the plainest of people. Ordinary people do not doubt the existence of trees or gloves, nor do they conjecture about matter or substrata underlying the things they interact with everyday.

The 'Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous' serve to support the philosophical arguments that Berkeley made in the 'Principles.' Hylas is a materialist, while Philonous represents Berkeley's immaterialist argument. Their three dialogues are extremely entertaining and informative. They compliment the technical philosophy by providing concrete examples, which are many times missing from Berkeley's treatise. While the treatise and the dialogues can be read and understood on their own, the fullest appreciation of Berkelely comes from reading both. One limitation of Berkeley is that his 'vulgar' notions are almost too simplistic. He takes Occom's razor almost to the point of absurdity, which causes him to dispute notions like gravity, which these days one may well frown upon. Other than matters of advanced mathematical or scientific complexity, however, Berkeley's immaterialism seems, on the surface, to make great sense.

Another interesting facet of these two works is their religious component. An Anglican bishop, Berkeley makes use of his belief in God both to support his arguments, and uses immaterialist arguments to simply (far more simply than Descartes) prove the existence of God. Not quite an enthralling read, but, who reads philosophy to be enthralled? The arguments are interesting, the arguments well-supported, and possible objections deftly handled. ... Read more

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Berkeley's idealism started a revolution in philosophy. As one of the great empiricist thinkers he not only influenced British philosophers from Hume to Russell and the logical positivists in the twentieth-century, he also set the scene for the continental idealism of Hegel and even the philosophy of Marx. This edition of Berkeley's two key works has an introduction which examines and in part defends his arguments for idealism, as well as offering a detailed analytical contents list, extensive philosophical notes, and an index. ... Read more

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Esse est percipi aut percipere
Berkeley's principle, esse est percipi aut percipere, denies the bustance's existence and assents that all things are only minds or ideas perceived by minds. This is the starting point for the idealism and allthis is exposed in his first work, the "Principles of humanknowledge" (1710). Since his first work was met with disfavour, heresposed to his critics with his second work, the "Threedialogues" between Hylas and Philonous (1713). This edition containsthe two keys works and also has an introduction wich examines Berkeley'sarguments. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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In Four Volumes. ... Read more

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In Three Volumes. ... Read more

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My design is to show the manner wherein we perceive by sight the distance, magnitude, and situation of OBJECTS. Also to consider the difference there is betwixt the IDEAS of sight and touch, and whether there be any IDEA common to both senses.
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peculiar small press edition, but not bad
This is a small press' take on this classic work.The cover is the nicest looking part.There is a paragraph summary in typewriter set, or maybe old courier, that looks cheap.But the essay itself looks ok. Really not a bad book, and one who wants this work has to make choices, since there is no decent edition of Berkeley's works.There is zero critical material in this adequate, if overpriced, reprint.

Bishop George Berkeley is the paradigm 'idealist,' and is perhaps the 'whipping boy' of philosophy, but is a remarkably ingenious and overlooked figure who took naive perceptual consciousness to its limits, setting the stage for Hume.His theory of vision paved the way for his critique of Lockean empiricism.

Written with keen intellect
George Berkeley (March 12, 1685 - January 14, 1753), also known as Bishop Berkeley, was an influential Irish philosopher whose primary philosophical achievement is the advancement of what has come to be called subjective idealism, summed up in his dictum, "Esse est percipi" ("To be is to be perceived"). Basically, the theory is that we can only directly know sensations and ideas of objects, not abstractions such as "matter". He wrote a number of works, the most widely-read of which are his Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge (1710) and Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous (1713) (Philonous, the "lover of the mind", representing Berkeley himself). In 1734 he published The Analyst, a critique of the foundations of science, which was very influential in the subsequent development of mathematics.

The city of Berkeley, California is named after him.
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In defending the immaterialism for which he is most famous, George Berkeley, one of the most influential modern philosophers, redirected modern thinking about the nature of objectivity and the mind's capacity to come to terms with it. Along the way, he made striking and influential proposals concerning the psychology of the senses, workings of language, aims of science, and scope of mathematics. A team of distinguished contributors not only examines Berkeley's achievements in this Companion, but also his neglected contributions to moral and political philosophy, writings on economics and development, and defense of religious commitment and religious life. ... Read more

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Berkeley Rules
I think that this book is an extremely helpful collection of essays on the philosophy of George Berkeley.The articles are all by preeminent scholars in the field, and they are highly accessible.In addition, they are quite interesting at that.Also, they cover a wide array of issues in Berkeley scholarship, and they don't simply focus on one area of his philosophy. ... Read more

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Philosophy being nothing else but the study of wisdom and truth, it may with reason be expected that those who have spent most time and pains in it should enjoy a greater calm and serenity of mind, a greater clearness and evidence of knowledge, and be less disturbed with doubts and difficulties than other men. ... Read more

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A childish crusade on science and mathematics
Berkeley's treatise is hopelessly opportunistic and naive and cannot be taken seriously, at least insofar as it deals with mathematics and science (which it does quite extensively). I propose to prove as much by two examples.

As our first example of Berkeley's childishly simplistic crusade on science we may consider his rejection of absolute space. Newton of course presented his famous bucket argument in favour of the theory of absolute space. Berkeley proposes to weasel out of this argument by redefining the concept of relative motion in a very opportunistic manner:

"To denominate a body moved, it is requisite, first, that it change its distance or situation with regard to some other body; and secondly, that the force or action occasioning that change be applied to it." (§115)

In Newton's theory, of course, such a separation of force and motion is impossible, since force and acceleration are interdefinable (F=ma). So apparently Berkeley has some other mysterious notion of "force" in mind, which he does not specify. All we know about Berkeley's concept of "force" is that apparently it is somehow logically prior to motion: before we can tell if an object is moving or not we must first decide if there is a "force" acting on it. Since Berkeley gives no indication of how to determine whether or not forces are present, his pseudo-definition of motion amounts to this: "an object is moving if and only if I, George Berkeley, self-absorbed dilettante,say so."

If we turn to Berkeley's discussion of geometry we again find nothing but unsubstantiated posturing. For example, Berkeley rejects infinite divisibility in favour ofa sort of geometrical atomism:

"There is no such thing as a ten-thousandth part of an inch; but there is of a mile or diameter of the earth ... The ten-thousandth part of that [one-inch] line ... is nothing at all, and consequently may be neglected without any error" (§127).

This idea, claims Berkeley, "at once clears the science of geometry from a great number of difficulties and contradictions ... which render the study of mathematics so difficult and tedious" (§123). For while infinite divisibility has always been "thought to have so inseparable and essential an connexion with the principles and demonstrations in geometry" (§123), this is a mistake, and, in fact, according to Berkeley, "whatever is useful in geometry ... doth still remain firm and unshaken on our principles" (§131).

All of this is arrogantly asserted without a trace of an argument; which is no wonder since it is such madness. Infinite divisibility is not "thought" to be essential to geometry, it plainly is so. Berkeley's rejection of this principle essentially nullifies every single geometrical proof that has ever been devised, while of course leaving us completely in the dark as to how "whatever is useful in geometry" is supposed to survive this geometrical armageddon. As an example, it is easy to see that Berkeley's claim entails the rejection of Euclid's axiom that a line is determined by two points: consider an equilateral triangle ABC with sides that are divisible into ten thousand parts; now take a line segment DE that is not divisible into ten thousand parts and place it parallel to the base AB and touching the other sides AC and BC; now divide AB into ten thousand parts and let F and G be two points one ten-thousandth apart; then, according to Berkeley, since DE is not divisible into such parts, the lines FC and GC both go through the same point H of DE; thus the points C and H do not uniquely determine a line.

A must read for Philosophy Scholars
A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge (Commonly called "Treatise" when referring to Berkeley's works) is a 1710 work by the Irish Empiricist philosopher George Berkeley. This book largely seeks to refute the claims made by his contemporary John Locke about the nature of human perception. Whilst, like all the Empiricist philosophers, both Locke and Berkeley agreed that there was an outside world, and it was this world which caused the ideas one has within one's mind; Berkeley sought to prove that outside world was also composed solely of ideas. Berkeley did this by suggesting that "Ideas can only resemble Ideas" - the mental ideas that we possessed could only resemble other ideas (not physical objects) and thus the external world consisted not of physical form, but rather ideas. This world was given logic and regularity by some other force, which Berkeley did his best to conclude was a God.

Long refuted by most philosophers, Berkeley's claims are often felt to have been a form of rationalisation - Berkeley later became Bishop of Cloyne, and was a highly religious man. Treastise's suggestion that the world was made of ideas with an omnipitent force guiding was his alternative to the Lockean Empiricism popular at the time, which Berkeley felt led to skepticism. In spite of this Berkeley was a capable, respected and entertaining thinker. Some doubt exists as to whether he truly believed his conclusion that the world at large was composed of ideas; with modern thinking tending towards him indeed having thought this to be the case.

Ideal Idealism
This is not the place for a philosophical analysis of Berkeley's original text, and its content of argument. The review concerns the specific book edited by Dancy, and its worth in respect of its further contribution to understanding the Treatise.
This book is to be strongly recommended as it provides a multitude of resources that contextualise, criticise, and clarify, the positions put forward by Berkeley in this work.

The most substantial contribution is the extensive introduction comprised of 15 punchy sections, covering Berkeley's life, his academic heritage, and analysis of his thought (both internal and external to that given in the Treatise). Dancy is fair to Berkeley in setting forth the most robust defences of his position, and marshalling critical arguments against the Berkelian stance. This is supplemented by an extremely thorough set of endnotes that are continually present in the background of the text, offering detailed guidance whenever necessary, or desired.

Additionally, the book offers a summarised concise overview of the arguments provided in the Treatise, a glossary of archaic terms(!), and a very helpful short section entitled "How to use this book" (why don't more books include this sort of thing?). There is also a manageable annotated bibliography of further reading to trail a path for academic expansion.

Overall, I found that this book provided a systematic treatment of the text and provided a solid structure of support surrounding the subject. Also included, the letters between Berkeley and Johnson, provide an unexpected bonus. This book is relatively cheap, considering its breadth and depth. In my opinion, it is an ideal text through which to study (and enjoy) Berkeley's Treatise.

an interesting reading
This is a very important work of George Berkeley. On of its most interesting topics is that about the existence of matter. As, for human beings,the "existence" of something is related to its perception, there is a very close link between "things" andideas. Both cannot have their existence completely proved. The argumentsplace the book among the most interesting on the top issues discussed inits time (empiricism, materialism, etc.)

an interesting reading
This is a very important work of George Berkeley. On of its most interesting topics is that about the existence of matter. As, for human beings,the "existence" of something is related to its perception, there is a very close link between "things" andideas. Both cannot have their existence completely proved. The argumentsplace the book among the most interesting on the top issues discussed inits time (empiricism, materialism, etc.) ... Read more

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Good morrow Hylas: I did not expect to find you abroad so early..' (Excerpt from text) ... Read more

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Hylas and Philonous
Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous is a Dialogue between two pretentious philosophical nitwits, discussing flatuence, food, and the nature of empty air.

In all, it's not very important, and only goes to prove that George Berkeley was a deluded immaterialist.

A classic of Western Philosophy
Along with Kant, the only Western Philosopher after Plato, worth reading. Bend your mind, and free your soul.

A reader-friendly introduction to Berkeley.
This Oxford Philosophical Texts student edition of George Berkeley's best known work features a helpful introduction, glossary, and notes by philosopher Jonathan Dancy (author of _Berkeley: An Introduction_ andeditor of the Oxford Philosophical Texts edition of Berkeley's _Treatiseconcerning the Principles of Human Knowledge_). The forty-page introductionincludes a short biography of Berkeley, a synopsis of the _Dialogues_, asummary and analysis of Berkeley's philosophy including critical discussionof his main arguments, and an exposition of the relation between the_Dialogues_ and the _Principles_. Also featured: a bibliography and ananalytical table of contents for the dialogues.

As for Berkeley himself,he probably needs no introduction from me. Arguably the most judiciouscommentary on his thought is that of T.H. Green, who in his great_Introduction_ to Locke and Hume remarked as follows:

"His[Berkeley's] purpose was the maintenance of Theism, and a true instincttold him that pure Theism, as distinct from nature-worship and daemonism,has no philosophical foundation, unless it can be shown that there isnothing real apart from thought. But in the hurry of theological advocacy,and under the influence of a misleading terminology, he failed todistinguish this true proposition -- there is nothing real apart fromthought -- from this false one, its virtual contradictory -- that there isnothing other than feeling. The confusion was covered, if not caused, bythe ambiguity, often noticed, in the use of the term 'idea.' This toBerkeley's generation stood alike for feeling proper . . . and forconception, or an object thought of under relations. . . . Misled by thephrase 'idea of a thing,' we fancy that idea and thing have each a separatereality of their own, and then puzzle ourselves with questions as to howthe idea can represent the thing . . . . These questions Berkeley asked andfound unanswerable. There were two ways of dealing with them before him.One was to supersede them by a truer view of thought and its object, astogether in essential correlation constituting the real; but this way hedid not take. The other was to avoid them by merging both thing and idea inthe indifference of simple feeling . . . -- an attempt which contradictsitself, since it virtually admits [the] existence [of such oppositions asinner and outer, subjective and objective] while it renders themunaccountable." [_Hume and Locke_, 1968 Apollo edition, pp.140-142.]

This summary may not be quite adequate to Berkeley's thoughtoverall, as later in life he does appear to have come round to a view notaltogether unlike Green's. However, it seems to me to be an eminently fairassessment of the Berkeley represented in the present volume.

At any rateBerkeley was a fascinating thinker and this volume is as good anintroduction to him as is available. The _Dialogues_ should eventually beread in conjunction with the _Principles_ (which they were intended tosupport), but anyone looking for a single volume in which to meet thisgreat and seminal philosopher will be safe in beginning with this one. ... Read more

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The thoughts of three philosophers on three topics: meaning, causality, and objectivity, are the focus of this study. ... Read more

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Part of the “Longman Library of Primary Sources in Philosophy,” this edition of Berkeley's Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous is framed by a pedagogical structure designed to make this important work of philosophy more accessible and meaningful for readers. A General Introduction includes biographical information on Berkeley, the work's historical context, and a discussion of historical influences, and a conclusion discusses how the work has influenced other philosophers and why it is important today. Annotations and notes from the editor clarify difficult passages for greater understanding. A bibliography gives the reader additional resources for further study.

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George Berkeley Alciphron in Focus contains the four most important dialogues of George Berkeley's Alciphron, or the Minute Philosopher (1732), together with essays and commentaries from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. Alciphron is Berkeley's most sustained work of philosophical theology, and contains his final views of meaning and language, some of which anticipate those of Wittgenstein. In Alciphron, Berkeley develops one of the last great philosophical defenses of religion and provides a shrewd account of the rise and nature of deism and atheism.

In his introduction, David Berman shows that Alciphron has a closer connection with Berkeley's Immaterialist philosophy than is generally thought. The only edition available of Alciphron, this book also includes critical essays which will assist the student in evaluating the theoretical importance of Berkeley's work. ... Read more

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Unlike nearly all studies of Berkeley, this book looks at the full range of his work and links it with his life--focusing in particular on his religious thought. While aiming to present a clear picture of his career, Berman breaks new ground on, among other topics, Berkeley's philosophical strategy, his account of immortality, his Jacobitism, his emotive theory of religious mysteries, and the motivation of his Siris (1744). Also distinctive is the attention paid to the Irish context of his thought, his symbolic frontispieces and portraits, and recent discoveries concerning his life and writings. ... Read more

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Exceptional, balanced introduction
George Berkeley was a leading advocate of idealistic empiricism in British philosophy. He studied divinity and later lectured at Trinity College, Dublin. He went to London to muster support for a venture to establish a college in Bermuda for colonists and Indians in America. Although his college never came to be, he spent three years in the colonies and was a stimulus to the development of higher education in America. This venture also laid the foundation for public reputation for piety. In 1734 he was appointed bishop at Cloyne, in which office he devoted himself to the social and economic plight of Ireland. Berman's biography is a subtle introduction to the life and thought of the second of the three great British empiricists, the first being John Locke and the third David Hume. Berkeley most remarked upon philosophical view is best expressed in the Latin expression esse est percipi, "to be is to be perceived." This is a type of philosophical idealism that considers that nothing can exist apart from minds and the contents of minds. To say that a material object exists is to say that it is or can be seen, heard, or otherwise perceived by a mind. Philosophers such as John Locke had adopted the view that human knowledge depends on the existence of material objects independent of minds or ideas. These objects causally produce ideas in our minds. Locke held that in some respects our ideas resemble objects in the material world, but some qualities that objects appear to have are not in the objects but depend upon our minds. That is, material objects possess in reality the measurable, quantitative qualities, such as size and weight, but their sense qualities, such as color, odor, and taste, depend upon the mind. Against this view Berkeley held that all the qualities of the object depend upon the mind. Since objects have stable and regular existence, the mind they depend on must be divine rather than human. In Berkeley's view, therefore, the existence of a divine mind follows directly from the commonsense belief that physical objects exist when no one is perceiving them. Berkeley believed that the Lockean view gave a basis for skepticism and atheism. His arguments have been of continuing interest to philosophers. In this biography the whole cloth of Berkeley's ideas and theology as well as his enthusiastic endorsement of tar-water as a replacement to strong spirits and a general aid to health are given full form. The philosophical Berkeley is important but the Bishop Berkeley, social reformer and enthusiast is definitely more interesting. Highly recommended as a humanist introduction to the good Bishop of Cloyne. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Berkeley responded vigorously against the dominant materialist interpretation of seventeenth century physics, proclaiming the dependence of the physical world on the spirit. This volume contains a selection of Berkeley's most important philosophical works, including "Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision," "Principles of Human Knowledge," "Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous," and his correspondence with Dr. Samuel Johnson. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Perenial metaphysics
Berkeley's ideas arises perenially in pop culture, in movies based on the works of Phillip K Dick, and more recently, in the Matrix.

Impressive, very lucid and worth reading!
This book has proven to me to be one of the best philosophical works from the 18th century. Its clearness and lucidness surpasses many of the philosophers of that period. Even though Berkeley's theory and arguments may be considered most radical, he explains them with great care and you can almost take them for a fact.

Berkeley's concepts can be only examined out of pure reason basically, since his theory rest merely on speculative thought. Nor is it possible to show any concrete proof for his arguments, however I find it much harder to disapprove his concepts since it all depends on rational thinking and not material evidence. His views provoke an exciting approach to a new metaphysics and reality.

This book should be read with the utmost clearness of mind, and one must eliminate all prejudice from the mind. Although a fairly easy book to read, one must dedicate time to deep reflection when considering its arguments.

I highly recommend this book for those interested in philosophy, specially in metaphysics, this is a must-read! ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Business ... Read more