A Metaphysics for the Mob: The Philosophy of George BerkeleyGeorge Berkeley notoriously claimed that his immaterialist metaphysics was not only consistent with common sense but that it was also integral to its defense. Roberts argues that understanding the basic connection between Berkeley's philosophy and common sense requires that we develop a better understanding of the four principle components of Berkeley's positive metaphysics: The nature of being, the divine language thesis, the active/passive distinction, and the nature of spirits. Roberts begins by focusing on Berkeley's view of the nature of being. He elucidates Berkeley's view on Locke and the Cartesians and by examining Berkeley's views about related concepts such as unity and simplicity. From there he moves on to Berkeley's philosophy of language arguing that scrutiny of the famous "Introduction" to the Principles of Human Knowledge reveals that Berkeley identified the ideational theory of meaning and understanding as the root cause of some of the worst of man's intellectual errors, not "abstract ideas." Abstract ideas are, rather, the most debilitating symptom of this underlying ailment. In place of the ideational theory, Berkeley defends a rudimentary "use theory" of meaning. This understanding of Berkeley's approach to semantics is then applied to the divine language thesis and is shown to have important consequences for Berkeley's pragmatic approach to the ontology of natural objects and for his approach to our knowledge of, and relation to other minds, including God's. Turning next to Berkeley's much aligned account of spirits, the author defends the coherence of Berkeley's view of spirits by way of providing an interpretation of the active/passive distinction as marking a normative distinction and by focusing on the role that divine language plays in letting Berkeley identify the soul with the will. With these four principles of Berkeley's philosophy in hand, he then returns to the topic of common sense and offers a defense of Berkeley's philosophy as built upon and expressive of the deepest metaphysical commitments of mainstream Christianity. Roberts' reappraisal of this important figure should appeal to all historians of philosophy as well as scholars in metaphysics and philosophy of language. |
Contents
The Berkelian Basics Why Esse Is Not Percipi | 3 |
One Berkeley Protestant Semantics and the Curtain of Words | 40 |
Knowing Spirits | 73 |
Resurrecting Berkelian Spirits Spirits Are Forensic Unities | 88 |
Agency and Occasionalism | 111 |
Common Sense the Manifest Image and Immaterialism | 124 |
Notes | 147 |
165 | |
169 | |
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A Metaphysics for the Mob: The Philosophy of George Berkeley John Russell Roberts Limited preview - 2007 |
A Metaphysics for the Mob: The Philosophy of George Berkeley John Russell Roberts Limited preview - 2007 |
A Metaphysics for the Mob: The Philosophy of George Berkeley John Russell Roberts Limited preview - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
A. A. Luce abstract ideas According to Berkeley account of spirits actions active/passive distinction activity Alciphron attack on abstract basic believe Berkeley’s attack Berkeley’s metaphysics Berkeley’s philosophy Berkeley’s view Berkelian spirits Berman bundle account bundle theory Cartesian chapter common sense conceive concept Dennett dependence Descartes discourse divine language emotivism entity epistemology Essay essence existence fact faculty finite fundamental George Berkeley God’s grasp Hume Hume’s Hylas Ibid ideas of sense ideational theory immaterialism individual intentional stance interpretation Jonathan Bennett kind Locke Locke’s Lockean persons Malebranche Manichaeans manifest image material substance matter meaning mental mind natural world Nicolas Malebranche notion one’s ontology particular perceive perception percipi Philonous Principles problem pure intellect religious image representational Sellars semantic sensations sensible things sensory signs Simon Blackburn simple ideas simple substances sort soul substratum Third Dialogue thought Tipton understanding unity volition Wilfrid Sellars words