Berkeley: (Classic Thinkers)

Irish philosopher George Bishop Berkeley was one of the greatest philosophers of the early modern period. Along with David Hume and John Locke he is considered one of the fathers of British Empiricism. Berkeley is a clear, concise, and sympathetic introduction to George Berkeley’s philosophy, and a thorough review of his most important texts. Daniel E. Flage explores his works on vision, metaphysics, morality, and economics in an attempt to develop a philosophically plausible interpretation of Berkeley’s oeuvre as whole. Many scholars blur the rejection of material substance (immaterialism) with the claim that only minds and things dependent upon minds exist (idealism). However Flage shows how, by distinguishing idealism from immaterialism and arguing that Berkeley’s account of what there is (metaphysics) is dependent upon what is known (epistemology), a careful and plausible philosophy emerges. The author sets out the implications of this valuable insight for Berkeley’s moral and economic works, showing how they are a natural outgrowth of his metaphysics, casting new light on the appreciation of these and other lesser-known areas of Berkeley’s thought. Daniel E. Flage’s Berkeley presents the student and general reader with a clear and eminently readable introduction to Berkeley’s works which also challenges standard interpretations of Berkeley’s philosophy.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations xi Chapter 1: Berkeley’s Life and Writings 1 Why Study Berkeley Today? 1 Early Life 3 Bermuda and Rhode Island 7 Bishop of Cloyne 12 On Reading Berkeley 17 Further Reading 21 Chapter 2: Vision 22 The Historical Context: Methods of Inquiry and Theories of Vision 23 Berkeley on Seeing Distance (NTV §§2–51) 26 Perception of Magnitude (NTV §§52–87) 31 Situation and Numerical Heterogeneity (NTV §§88–120) 33 Heterogeneity and the Universal Language of Vision (NTV §§121–158) 36 A Look Back; A Look Ahead 39 Further Reading 41 Chapter 3: Abstraction 42 Historical Context 43 The Principal Arguments 48 Language 53 A Look Back; A Look Ahead 54 Further Reading 55 Chapter 4: The Case for Idealism and Immaterialism in the Principles 56 The Case for Idealism (Sections 1–7) 58 The Attack on Matter (Sections 8–24) 70 Onward to Ordinary Objects (Sections 25–33) 86 A Look Back; A Look Ahead 94 Further Reading 95 Chapter 5: Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous 97 Background 98 Dialogue One 99 Dialogue Two 105 Dialogue Three 108 A Look Back; A Look Ahead 112 Further Reading 113 Chapter 6: Minds: Yours, Mine, and God’s 114 The Principles 116 Knowing Minds: Dialogue Three 124 Your Mind and God’s 131 A Look Back; A Look Ahead 136 Further Reading 136 Chapter 7: Moral Philosophy 137 Moral Theories 138 The Egoistic Notebooks 142 Passive Obedience 147 Alciphron 158 A Look Back; A Look Ahead 162 Further Reading 163 Chapter 8: Economics and the Irish Condition 164 Eighteenth-Century Ireland and the South Sea Bubble 164 An Essay towards Preventing of the Ruin of Great Britain 166 The Querist 169 Further Reading 176 Chapter 9: Concluding Remarks 177 Endnotes 182 Bibliography 189 Index 197

About the Author :
Daniel Flage is Professor of Philosophy at James Madison university.

Review :
"Daniel Flage's book provides much of value for all readers. His clear exposition and acute argumentation make it an excellent choice for beginners to Berkeley, while his careful account of the epistemological grounding of Berkeley's theory will interest and challenge Berkeley scholars." Margaret Atherton, University of Wisconsin "Daniel Flage's clear, engaging, and wide-ranging introduction is a welcome resource for anyone who is studying Berkeley for the first time. Readers already familiar with Berkeley will be intrigued by its argument that Berkeley's idealism and immaterialism rest on epistemological premises." Kenneth Winkler, Yale University "One puts down this volume with admiration for the person of Bishop Berkeley and for the clarity in which Daniel Flage presents Berkeley's philosophy." Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly