Principles of Human Knowledge and Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Phil (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

George Berkeley (Author), Roger Woolhouse (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: July 5, 1988

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.

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About the Author

Bishop Berkeley (1685-1753) was one of the greatest British philosophers. Roger Woolhouse Roger Woolhouse is a Professor in the Philosophy Department at York University. He has written extensively about philosophy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries - mainly focusing on metaphysics and the philosophy of science. He is currently working on Leibniz and on Spinoza.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (July 5, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140432930
• ISBN-13: 978-0140432930
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Immaterialism and Common Sense, August 23, 2001

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mp - See all my reviews

This review is from: Principles of Human Knowledge and Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Phil (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent edition, July 13, 2006

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meadowreader (Sandia Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Principles of Human Knowledge and Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Phil (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

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 recommend Berkeley as the best place to start.