Description
By: George Berkeley (1685-1753)
A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge by George Berkeley is a thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating read. Berkeley’s philosophy of immaterialism challenges traditional notions of reality and existence, arguing that the only true reality is that which is perceived by the mind.
Through meticulous reasoning and persuasive argumentation, Berkeley dismantles the prevailing belief in an external world existing independently of human perception. Instead, he posits that all objects and phenomena derive their existence from being perceived, effectively turning the traditional understanding of reality on its head.
While some readers may find Berkeley’s ideas to be radical and difficult to accept, his meticulous logic and clear writing style make his arguments accessible and engaging. Overall, A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge is a must-read for anyone interested in philosophy, metaphysics, or the nature of reality.
Book Description:
A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, Part 1 (Commonly called “Treatise” when referring to Berkeley’s works) is a 1710 work by the Irish Empiricist philosopher George Berkeley. It largely seeks to refute the claims made by his contemporary John Locke about the nature of human perception. Both Locke and Berkeley agreed that there was an outside world, and it was this world which caused the ideas one has within one’s mind. Berkeley sought to prove that the outside world was also composed solely of ideas, suggesting that “Ideas can only resemble Ideas”. This world was given logic and regularity by some other force, which Berkeley concluded was God.
Part 2 of the Treatise was never written.
