This exciting new series consists of truly practical and accessible guides to major philosophical texts in the history of philosophy from the ancient world up to modern times. Each volume, issued in a uniform and economical paperback format, uses the most authoritative edition of the text available. Each book opens with a comprehensive introduction by a leading specialist which covers the philosopher's life, work, and influence, offering readers detailed critical guidance on the intellectual context of the work and the structure and philosophical importance of the main arguments. Endnotes are supplied to expand upon the arguments and to explain unfamiliar references and terminology, and a full bibliography and index are also included. The volumes are further enhanced by guides to further reading, and in some cases they include an analysis of the text and a glossary of terms. Authoritative yet practical, the Oxford Philosophical Texts series aims to build up a definitive corpus of key texts in the Western philosophical tradition which will form a reliable and enduring resource and reference for years to come.
In this exceptional work Berkeley makes the striking claim that physical things consist of nothing but ideas and therefore do not exist outside the mind. This claim establishes him as the founder of the idealist tradition in philosophy. The text printed in this volume is the 1734 edition of the Principles, which represents Berkeley's mature thought. Also included are four important letters between George Berkeley and Samuel Johnson, written between 1729 and 1730. This new edition of Berkeley's most famous work provides readers with a thorough introduction to the central ideas of one of the world's greatest philosophers.
