A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge

by George Berkeley

Overview

It is indeed an opinion strangely prevailing amongst men that houses, mountains, rivers, and, in a word, all sensible objects have an existence, natural or real, distinct from their being perceived by the understanding. -from "On the Principles of Human Knowledge" Forming a triangle of British empiricism with Locke and Hume, George Berkeley's direct influence on modern thought cannot be overstated. From the American Founding Fathers, who looked to him as the pioneer of their idealism, to the reality-questioning motives of quantum physics, Berkeley's odd, profound view of the nature of human perception, a sense he trusted implicitly, has in turn shaped our perception of the universe at large. Dismissed as an impractical dreamer, a disaffected anti-authoritarian, even a madman in his time, Berkeley here shifts the ground under the feet of humanity, questioning everything and finding fundamental freedom in human will and action. His conclusions remain as wise and inspiring as they were almost three hundred years ago, when he first shared them with the world in 1710. Irish scientist, philosopher, and writer GEORGE BERKELEY (1685-1753) also wrote An Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision (1709).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596052826
Publisher:	Cosimo Classics
Publication date:	10/01/2005
Series:	Cosimo Classics Philosophy
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	132
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

George Berkeley (1685-1753) was one of the three great British empiricist philosophers; his best known works include An Essay towards a New Theory of Vision and A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge.

Jonathan Cowley is a British voice actor who calls Los Angeles home. He has received AudioFile Earphones Awards for his narration of The Science of Evil by Simon Baron-Cohen, The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart, and The Angry Chef's Guide to Spotting Bullsh*t in the World of Food by Anthony Warner.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Introductory MaterialHow to Use this BookEditor's Introduction1. Preamble2. Berkeley's Life3. The Target (or, What Berkeley didn't Believe)4. Berkeley's Metaphysical Picture5. What Happens in the Principles? 6. The Arguments of Principles 1-247. Berkeley's Attack on the Doctrine of Abstract Ideas8. Abstract Ideas in the Principles9. The Existence of God10. Physical Reality11. Scepticism12. Berkeley and the Progress of Science13. The Nature of Spirits14. Berkeley's Intellectual Antecedents15. The Berkeley-Johnson CorrespondenceThe Text Printed in this Edition; Bibliography and Further Reading; Analysis of the PrinciplesPart 2: The TextsA Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human KnowledgePrefaceIntroductionOn the Principles of Human Knowledge Part IThe Berkeley-Johnson CorrespondenceJohnson to Berkeley, 10 September 1729Berkeley to Johnson, 25 November 1729Johnson to Berkeley , 5 February 1730Berkeley to Johnson , 24 March 1730Part 3: Glossary, Notes, and IndexGlossaryNotes to the PrinciplesNotes to the Berkeley-Johnson CorrespondenceIndex