Description
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPreface x
Acknowledgments xiii
Abbreviations xiv
1 Berkeley’s Life and Work 1
1685–1713 2
1713–1734 4
1734–1753 7
2 An Essay towards a New Theory of Vision 13
Distance Cannot Be Seen of Itself and Immediately 16
We Don’t See Distance by Anything Necessarily Connected with It 16
Distance Is Only Suggested to Our Thoughts by Certain Visible Ideas and Sensations Attending Vision 18
What We Learn from the Man Born Blind 18
Heterogeneity, Visible Ideas, and Tangible Meanings 19
Size Perception and the “Picture” Picture 21
Situation Perception and the “Picture” Picture 25
“The Main Part and Pillar” 27
Vision Is a Language 29
3 Principles of Human Knowledge: The Introduction 33
Berkeley’s Outline of His Project (PHK Introd. 1–5) 34
Abstract Ideas (PHK Introd. 6–17) 35
The Abuse of Language (PHK Introd. 18–25) 43
4 Principles of Human Knowledge: Berkeley’s Summary Statement of his Position (PHK 1–33) 46
PHK 1–7: The Statement of Idealism 47
PHK 8–25: The Refutation of Materialism 54
PHK 25–33: Minds and Ideas: Berkeley’s Positive Argument 59
5 Principles of Human Knowledge: Berkeley’s Replies to Objections (PHK 34–84) 67
First Objection (PHK 34–40) 68
Second Objection (PHK 41) 69
Third Objection (PHK 42–44) 69
Fourth Objection (PHK 45–48) 71
Fifth Objection (PHK 49) 73
Sixth Objection (PHK 50) 74
Seventh Objection (PHK 51–53) 75
Eighth Objection (PHK 54–57)8 75
Tenth Objection (PHK 58–59) 77
Eleventh Objection (PHK 60–66) 79
Twelfth Objection (PHK 67–81) 82
Objections from Religion (PHK 82–84) 82
Conclusions 83
6 Principles of Human Knowledge: The Consequences of the Principles (PHK 85–156) 86
General Consequences for Knowledge of Ideas (PHK 86–100) 87
The Consequences for Knowledge of Natural Philosophy (PHK 101–134) 91
Newton on Absolute Space and Motion (PHK 110–117) 94
Consequences for Our Knowledge of Mathematics (PHK 118–134) 100
Consequences for Knowledge of Spirits (PHK 135–156) 106
Consequences for Knowledge of God (PHK 145–156) 108
7 Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous: The Preface and First Dialogue, 1 171–194 114
The Preface 114
First Dialogue, 171–194 116
Initial Scene Setting 116
Sensible Things 117
What Is Immediately Perceived 118
“To Exist Is One Thing, and to Be Perceived Is Another” 122
Heat 123
Further Sensible Qualities 126
Colors 127
The Very Same Arguments 129
Summing Up 131
8 Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous: First Dialogue, 2 195–207 135
The Act–Object Distinction 136
Modes, Qualities, and Substratum 137
The Unconceived Tree (The Master Argument) 138
“Without the Mind” and “At a Distance” 139
Two Kinds of Objects 140
The Relationship between the Principles and Three Dialogues 144
9 Three dialogues between Hylas and Philonous: The Second Dialogue 147
A Psychophysical Cause of Ideas 147
The Real Beauties of Nature 148
Ideas Caused by God 150
Matter (and God) as the Cause of Our Ideas 152
What Has Been Achieved in the Second Dialogue 155
10 Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous: The Third Dialogue 157
What Philonous Believes 159
An Annihilation Objection 161
Knowledge of Immaterial Substance 162
The Gardener and His Cherry Tree 165
Real Things and Imaginary Things 167
Things and Ideas 167
Spirits as Causes 168
Divine Causation and Human Agency 168
Substance and Spiritual Substance 171
Trusting the Senses 172
Further on Substance and Spirits 173
God and Pain 174
Matter and Gravity 175
Explaining the Phenomena 176
Believing in Matter 177
Introducing Novelties 177
Changing Ideas into Things 178
Perceiving the Same Thing and Perceiving Cherries 182
Existence in the Mind 184
The Creation Story 185
Philonous’s Defense of His Theory 188
Final Thoughts 191
11 Taking Stock: Berkeley’s Three Books 199
Index 208
