George Berkeley Quotes


All those who write either explicitly or by insinuation against the dignity, freedom, and immortality of the human soul, may so far forth be justly said to unhinge the principles of morality, and destroy the means of making men reasonably virtuous.


Citations

Berkeley, George. "Essay in The Guardian, No. 89." The Guardian, J. Tonson, 23 Jun. 1713.

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George Berkeley
George Berkeley
  • Born: March 12, 1685
  • Died: January 14, 1753
  • Nationality: Irish
  • Profession: Philosopher

George Berkeley – known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland) – was an Anglo-Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism" (later referred to as "subjective idealism" by others). This theory denies the existence of material substance and instead contends that familiar objects like tables and chairs are ideas perceived by the minds and, as a result, cannot exist without being perceived. Berkeley is also known for his critique of abstraction, an important premise in his argument for immaterialism.