George Berkeley
1685-1753
The life of Berkeley
Born in Kilkenny County, Ireland on March 12, 1685
He was a precocious child
Not much is known of his childhood.
In 1696, he attended Kilkenny School
In 1700, he attended Trinity college in Dublin
Studied mathematics, logic, language, and
PHILOSOPHY!!!
1709, Berkeley became deacon at his church. Same
year he traveled to London to meet with writers Joseph
Addison, Sir Richard Steel, Alexander Pope, and
Jonathan swift, who he had written essay’s for.
Life con’t
1713-1714, he traveled around the continent.
In 1716-1720, he had returned home to tutor George Ahse, the
son of the Bishop of Clogher.
All this around the same time of De motu
“Of Motion” argued against Einstein and Newton’s thoughts of
motion, time, and space.
Was named “precursor of March and Einstein”
In 1724, he became dean of Derry
Died on January 14, 1753. In bed while his wife was reading him
the bible
Berkeley worked mainly to convert others to
Christianity.
Had an interest for educating the English Society with
his theories.
Scheme to build the College of Bermuda.
Plans eventually abandoned
Wanted to educate the American Indians
He married in 1728 and had 6 children, then moved to
Rhode Island.
He soon returned to Ireland to be appointed Bishop of
Cloyne.
Works and Influences
Ides influenced by John Locke (Wynn’s guy) and the
continental thinkers Nicolas Malebranche and Pierre
Bayle.
He had published three books buy the age of thirty.
His writing involving immateriality of objects, based on
subjectivity of sense perception.
“This table I write on, I say, exists, that is, I see and fell it, and
were I out of my study I should say it existed, meaning thereby
that if I was in my study I might perceive it, or that other spirit
does perceive. “
Works con’t…
His published works include:
An essay toward a new theory of vision, 1709
A treatise concerning the principles of human knowledge, 1710
Three dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, 1713
De motu, 1721
Alciphron, 1732
Theory of vision, 1733
The analyst, 1734
A defense of free thinking in mathematics, 1735
The querist, 1735-1737
Siris, 1744
Philosophy
Berkeley’s position of things were very negative.
He wanted to destroy what had become the generally
accepted eighteenth century viewpoint on the issues
he talks about in his work.
Galileo and Newton
Notions of force, gravity, fluxions, and infinitesimals
Entire life was build from ideas
Combo of John Locke’s notions of common sense and
David Hume’s skepticism
Insisted the senses are avenues to knowledge
Arguments are a source of intellectual confusion
Argued against Locke’s hypothesis of matter
“It is quite the other way around. Sensory experiences do not
lead to doubt and abstracted notion of “substratum” called
matter, but rather to a direct manifestation of the reality of mind
or spirit. As a human…” (long quote)
He came up with the idea, “all those bodies which
compose the mighty frame of the world, have not any
subsistence with out a mind-that their being is to be
perceived or known.” It shocked value.
Existence and being
Spoke at many political events