Berkeley

Margaret Atherton, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she has been teaching since 1980. She has published numerous articles in the history of early modern philosophy, and has special interests in the works of John Locke and George Berkeley, as well as in the philosophy of perception and the recovery of women philosophers.

• Preface xAcknowledgments xiiiAbbreviations xiv1 Berkeley’s Life and Work 11685–1713 21713–1734 41734–1753 72 An Essay towards a New Theory of Vision 13Distance Cannot Be Seen of Itself and Immediately 16We Don’t See Distance by Anything Necessarily Connected with It 16Distance Is Only Suggested to Our Thoughts by Certain Visible Ideas and Sensations Attending Vision 18What We Learn from the Man Born Blind 18Heterogeneity, Visible Ideas, and Tangible Meanings 19Size Perception and the “Picture” Picture 21Situation Perception and the “Picture” Picture 25“The Main Part and Pillar” 27Vision Is a Language 293 Principles of Human Knowledge: The Introduction 33Berkeley’s Outline of His Project (PHK Introd. 1–5) 34Abstract Ideas (PHK Introd. 6–17) 35The Abuse of Language (PHK Introd. 18–25) 434 Principles of Human Knowledge: Berkeley’s Summary Statement of his Position (PHK 1–33) 46PHK 1–7: The Statement of Idealism 47PHK 8–25: The Refutation of Materialism 54PHK 25–33: Minds and Ideas: Berkeley’s Positive Argument 595 Principles of Human Knowledge: Berkeley’s Replies to Objections (PHK 34–84) 67First Objection (PHK 34–40) 68Second Objection (PHK 41) 69Third Objection (PHK 42–44) 69Fourth Objection (PHK 45–48) 71Fifth Objection (PHK 49) 73Sixth Objection (PHK 50) 74Seventh Objection (PHK 51–53) 75Eighth Objection (PHK 54–57)8 75Tenth Objection (PHK 58–59) 77Eleventh Objection (PHK 60–66) 79Twelfth Objection (PHK 67–81) 82Objections from Religion (PHK 82–84) 82Conclusions 836 Principles of Human Knowledge: The Consequences of the Principles (PHK 85–156) 86General Consequences for Knowledge of Ideas (PHK 86–100) 87The Consequences for Knowledge of Natural Philosophy (PHK 101–134) 91Newton on Absolute Space and Motion (PHK 110–117) 94Consequences for Our Knowledge of Mathematics (PHK 118–134) 100Consequences for Knowledge of Spirits (PHK 135–156) 106Consequences for Knowledge of God (PHK 145–156) 1087 Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous: The Preface and First Dialogue, 1 171–194 114The Preface 114First Dialogue, 171–194 116Initial Scene Setting 116Sensible Things 117What Is Immediately Perceived 118“To Exist Is One Thing, and to Be Perceived Is Another” 122Heat 123Further Sensible Qualities 126Colors 127The Very Same Arguments 129Summing Up 1318 Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous: First Dialogue, 2 195–207 135The Act–Object Distinction 136Modes, Qualities, and Substratum 137The Unconceived Tree (The Master Argument) 138“Without the Mind” and “At a Distance” 139Two Kinds of Objects 140The Relationship between the Principles and Three Dialogues 1449 Three dialogues between Hylas and Philonous: The Second Dialogue 147A Psychophysical Cause of Ideas 147The Real Beauties of Nature 148Ideas Caused by God 150Matter (and God) as the Cause of Our Ideas 152What Has Been Achieved in the Second Dialogue 15510 Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous: The Third Dialogue 157What Philonous Believes 159An Annihilation Objection 161Knowledge of Immaterial Substance 162The Gardener and His Cherry Tree 165Real Things and Imaginary Things 167Things and Ideas 167Spirits as Causes 168Divine Causation and Human Agency 168Substance and Spiritual Substance 171Trusting the Senses 172Further on Substance and Spirits 173God and Pain 174Matter and Gravity 175Explaining the Phenomena 176Believing in Matter 177Introducing Novelties 177Changing Ideas into Things 178Perceiving the Same Thing and Perceiving Cherries 182Existence in the Mind 184The Creation Story 185Philonous’s Defense of His Theory 188Final Thoughts 19111 Taking Stock: Berkeley’s Three Books 199Index 208