Berkeley’s Immaterialism: Arguments and Anaylsis – Flashcards
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What is the philosophy of Berkeley generally known as?
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Idealism or immaterialism
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What is Berkeley's main argument?
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There is no material, all perceptions are created by the senses, there is nothing but the minds of people and God
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What is the name of Berkeley's most famous work presenting the concept of immaterialism?
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Three Dialogues Between Hylas And Philonous
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Which character argues Berkeley's philosophy in his Three Dialogues?
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Philonous
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What is another famous argument of Berkeley's that relates to idealism/immaterialism?
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This argument (presented in An Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision) states that touch is similar to sight, therefore the senses are not as concrete as previously thought, supporting immaterialism, a modern-day example of this includes that people who are blind read in Braille (or in other words in a tactile fashion), and Berkeley specifically argued that a person blind since birth suddenly given the ability to see would still interpret what they saw as what they previous had touched.
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How was Berkeley's philosophy convenient for the time (early 18th century) that he proposed and advocated it in?
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Philosophy was still in a "Renaissance" phase, so there were many other well-known philosophers (such as Descartes), which Berkeley used his argument against to point out inconsistencies in their arguments and promote his philosophy. Many people believed in a God at the time, so Berkeley used his philosophy to promote monotheism and give these people reassurance of their beliefs (Berkeley was an Anglican bishop, so he also had an effective audience to communicate his philosophy to).
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How was Berkeley's philosophy inconvenient for the time (early 18th century) that he proposed and advocated it in?
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In the 18th century, many people had specific beliefs and were close-minded to many beliefs different from theirs. Immaterialism is fundamentally very counterintuitive, so it was rejected by many and still is rejected today for the same reason.
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What was the famous refutation to Berkeley's ideas (quote and accompanying action), who said it, and what was the major flaw in it from an immaterialistic point of view?
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"I refute it thus!" accompanying kicking a rock, Samuel Johnson, kicking the rock would produce a sensation of touch/pain which would still be in the mind.
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What was Johnson trying to illustrate in his famous refutation?
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Berkeley philosophy was so counterintuitive that even a simple perception would appear "real" to a person, and it would be very difficult to believe or conclude that it was not "real".
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How can Berkeley's philosophy be explored today (from a scientific approach) ?
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Exploration of mathematical laws of the universe, observation of physics phenomena (especially quantum entanglement, dark flow/energy/matter, and "Schrodinger's Cat" wave function phenomena), neurology (to see how the brain (as a functional mind) processes thoughts/perception), considering theories that might point towards immaterialism.
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Considering the era and beliefs that constituted Berkeley's environment, it was easy for Berkeley to attribute his philosophy to a God. In fact, he believed this so certainly that he used immaterialism as arguments against atheism, and viewed materialists as supporters or encouragers of atheism. What was wrong with this view (if we consider the fundamental principles of immaterialism)?
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The higher power controlling our perceptions created by the mind in immaterialism (since we can't change anyone's perceptions Berkeley assumed this must be true) doesn't necessarily have to be a God, gods, or any other kind of supernatural supreme being(s) - it can be anything with the capability of exerting this type of control.
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Why is Berkeley's philosophy not only counterintuitive, but unsettling to many?
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In Berkeley's paradigm, there is no way of escaping the immaterialistic universe we take for granted- as there are only minds and God, neither of which constitute material, we are trapped in an immaterialistic universe for our entire lives. Berkeley also implies that since we are only our minds and our thoughts die when we die, at death the mind ceases to exist forever- therefore there is no form of "life after death" (though this is believed in by many theists, and Berkeley was a form of theist) and we do not have immortal "souls", only mortal minds.
