what is berkeley's point?

Question

In the Principles of Human Knowledge, Sec. 23, Berkeley says, "But, you say, surely there is nothing easier than to imagine trees, for instance, in a park or books existing in a closet and nobody nearby to perceive them. . . . But do you not yourself perceive them or think of them all the while?" It appears the same point is made in the Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, starting on p. 429, Col. B. Hylas says he can easily conceive of a body unperceived. He forms an idea of a tree, and in the idea there is no human being perceiving the tree. Then Philonous points out that Hylas himself is conceiving the tree he is trying to imagine is unperceived.

1. Why does Berkeley make this point? What does he think the point shows?

2. Do you think the point Berkeley makes succeeds in accomplishing what he wants to with it?

Answer 1

A rigourous enquiry into both rationalism and empiricism would see their positions boil down to solipsism; in this sense the Bish has a point!

Answer 2

The good Bishop has a fundamental (no pun intended) perspective: you are a Mindful, infinite child of God, and not merely a physicalist, existentialist, relativized object.

Hence, you perceive a tree as one who is "letting this Mind abide, which was also in Christ Jesus." As such, the essence of the tree comes to Light of Soul only when Mindful Sons and Daughters of God perceive the essence. Otherwise, the tree doesn't have Life, insofar as it is not Mindful of itself.

This is the "esse est percipi" or "to be perceived is to be be-held," which reaches its higher expression in God as Lover of our souls, i.e., we are of God, sustained by God.

Berkeley has a dualist problem with Essence in the world of matter, but not of it. Plotinus resolves this by pointing to One Mind Soul, as pure Energy-individuation, with energy-veiling, e-veiling, eviling, as distorted turnings from the One Harmony.

Berkeley and Descartes have some elements in common, e.g. "I Am, therefore I Mind or I think." Descartes moved from Holy Christ Mindedness into a kind of Mind-body dualism, in which Mind becomes mortal mind, relativized in matter as +/- on the screen of life, a type of Fall from Edenic bliss or Plotinian One Mind Soulness.

"A Philosophy of Universality," O. M. Aivanhov, and "Climb the Highest Mountain," Mark Prophet, are good contemporary, general undergraduate-level philosophies.

Answer 3

Ah George Berkeley, Bishop of Coyne.
Most readers dont understand his work . It is fair to say that even those who try to critique his work have one thing in common. None of them agree with each other.