Epistemology: Berkeley

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Epistemology Berkeley

• Introduction to Philosophy
• Weber State University
• Spring 2007

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Anchor Points of Empiricism

• The only source of knowledge is sense experience
• Reason is unreliable for knowledge unless it is
  grounded in sense experience and
• There is no evidence for nativism.

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What is Berkeley trying to defend?

• Common sense
• Things exist independently of our perceiving that
  they do.
• Things have qualities they seem to have The rose
  we see is really red, the sugar on our tongue is
  really sweet, and the fire we approach is really
  hot.

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Why do these need defending?

• Locke says material substances exist
  independently of our perception of them.
• Moreover, Locke says that they have qualities of
  their own, i.e., primary and secondary qualities.
• But Locke insists the true nature of substance is
  unknowable. If this is true, then how does
  Lockes account differ from skepticism?

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Another worry

• Well Descartes and Locke would deny (2).
• Objects do not have the qualities they seem to
  have these qualities are in us.

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Berkeleys Subjective Idealism

• Subjective idealism there are no physical
  objects or material substances, only the ideas of
  the mind truly exist.

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Berkeleys Three Tenets

• The only thing we can know about objects is
  derived from the objects sensible properties.
• Contra Locke, the distinction between primary and
  secondary qualities cannot be divided between
  intrinsic properties and causal properties.
• Once we agree that empirical knowledge is the way
  to go, we must recognize that the causal theory
  of perception is false and there are no physical
  objects.

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Esse est percipi

• To be is to be perceived (The existence of
  impossible objects suddenly becomes possible. For
  e.g., think of a golden mountain or the present
  King of France or a squircle.)
• Nothing exists other than what is contained in
  the mind. But does that mean we can create
  things?
• No, for Berkeley, God holds the universe together
  at its joints. Since there is a God and God is
  the eternal perceiver, the tree falling in the
  forest makes a sound (for Gods sake).