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George Berkeley Biography

George Berkeley

George Berkeley (/ˈbɑːrkli/; 12 March 1685 – 14 January 1753) — known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne) — was an 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 only ideas in the minds of perceivers 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.

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George Berkeley Quotes

That the discovery of this great truth, which lies so near and obvious to the mind, should be attained to by the reason of so veryfew, is a sad instance of the stupidity and inattention of men, who, though they are surrounded with such clear manifestations of the Deity, are yet so little affected by them, that they seem as it were blinded with excess of light.

Attained, God, Lying, Men, Truth

For my own private satisfaction, I had rather be master of my own time than wear a diadem.

Independence, Master, Masters, Private, Satisfaction, Wear

From my own being, and from the dependency I find in myself and my ideas, I do, by an act of reason, necessarily infer the existence of a God, and of all created things in the mind of God.

Created, Dependency, God, Ideas, Mind, Reason

And what are these fluxions? The velocities of evanescent increments. And what are these same evanescent increments? They are neither finite quantities, nor quantities infinitely small, nor yet nothing. May we not call them the ghosts of departed quantities. . . ?

Departed, Fluxions, Infinitely, Math, May, Nothing

I am apt to think, if we knew what it was to be an angel for one hour, we should return to this world, though it were to sit on the brightest throne in it, with vastly more loathing and reluctance than we would now descend into a loathsome dungeon or sepulchre.

Angel, Dungeons, Sit, Think, Thinking, Throne

But, say you, surely there is nothing easier than for me to imagine trees, for instance, in a park [. . . ] and nobody by to perceive them. [. . . ] The objects of sense exist only when they are perceived; the trees therefore are in the garden [. . . ] no longer than while there is somebody by to perceive them.

Easier, Exist, Garden, Imagine, Parks, Tree

[Christianity] neither enjoins the nastiness of the Cynic, nor the insensibility of the Stoic.

Christianity, Cynic, Cynicism, Enjoins, Nastiness, Stoic

The eye by long use comes to see even in the darkest cavern: and there is no subject so obscure but we may discern some glimpse of truth by long poring on it.

Darkest, Discern, Eye, Glimpse, Long, Truth

Casting an eye on the education of children, from whence I can make a judgment of my own, I observe they are instructed in religious matters before they can reason about them, and consequently that all such instruction is nothing else but filling the tender mind of a child with prejudices.

Children, Education, Eye, Filling, Religious, Whence

Few men think, yet all will have opinions.

Men, Opinion, Opinions, Think, Thinking

It would much conduce to the public benefit, if, instead of discouraging free-thinking, there was erected in the midst of this free country a dianoetic academy, or seminary for free-thinkers, provided with retired chambers, and galleries, and shady walks and groves, where, after seven years spent in silence and meditation, a man might commence a genuine free-thinker, and from that time forward, have license to think what he pleased, and a badge to distinguish him from counterfeits.

Country, Dianoetic, Men, Thinking, Walks, Years

The love of truth, virtue, and the happiness of mankind are specious pretexts, but not the inward principles that set divines at work; else why should they affect to abuse human reason, to disparage natural religion, to traduce the philosophers as they universally do?

Abuse, Natural, Philosophers, Principles, Set, Truth

That thing of hell and eternal punishment is the most absurd, as well as the most disagreeable thought that ever entered into the head of mortal man.

Absurd, Demise, Hell, Man, Men, Mortal

To me it seems that liberty and virtue were made for each other. If any man wish to enslave his country, nothing is a fitter preparative than vice; and nothing leads to vice so surely as irreligion.

Country, Enslave, Irreligion, Men, Vice, Wish

To be is to be perceived

Inspirational, Perceived, Philosophical, Philosophy

We have first raised a dust and then complain we cannot see.

Complain, Complaining, Dust, Inspirational, See

So long as I confine my thoughts to my own ideas divested of words, I do not see how I can be easily mistaken.

Confine, Ideas, Long, Mistaken, Philosophical, Words

Man is an animal, formidable both from his passions and his reason; his passions often urging him to great evils, and his reason furnishing means to achieve them. To train this animal, and make him amenable to order; to inure him to a sense of justice and virtue; to withhold him from ill courses by fear, and encourage him in his duty by hopes; in short, to fashion and model him for society, hath been the aim of civil and religious institutions; and, in all times, the endeavor of good and wise men. The aptest method for attaining this end hath been always judged a proper education.

Education, Hopes, Religious, Short, Wise

Upon the whole, I am inclined to think that the far greater part, if not all, of those difficulties which have hitherto amused philosophers, and blocked up the way to knowledge, are entirely owing to our selves. That we have first raised a dust, and then complain, we cannot see.

Difficulties, Inclined, Math, Philosophy, Selves, Thinking

The world is like a board with holes in it, and the square men have got into the round holes, and the round into the square.

Boards, Holes, Like, Men, Squares, World

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