The semantics of sense perception in Berkeley

Religious Studies 44 (3):249-268 (2008)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

George Berkeley's linguistic account of sense perception is one of the most central tenets of his philosophy. It is intended as a solution to a wide range of critical issues in both metaphysics and theology. However, it is not clear from Berkeley's writings just how this ‘universal language of the Author of Nature’ is to be interpreted. This paper discusses the nature of the theory of sense perception as language, together with its metaphysical and theological motivations, then proceeds to develop an account of the semantics of the perceptual language, using Berkeley's theory of reference for human language as a guide.

Similar books and articles

A Mystery at the Heart of Berkeley's Philosophy.John Russell Roberts - 2010 - Oxford Studies in Early Modern Philosophy 5:214-46.
Common sense and Berkeley's perception by suggestion.Jody Graham - 1997 - International Journal of Philosophical Studies 5 (3):397 – 423.
Berkeley on immediate perception: Once more unto the breach.Georges Dicker - 2006 - Philosophical Quarterly 56 (225):517–535.
Berkeley, Perception, and Common Sense.Goerge Pappas - 1982 - In Colin M. Turbayne (ed.), Berkeley: Critical and Interpretive Essays. University of Minnesota Press.
Book review. [REVIEW]Michael Newman - 1990 - British Journal of Aesthetics 30 (4):390-392.
Book reviews. [REVIEW]Jay Newman, Martin A. Bertman & Finngeir Hiorth - 1992 - Philosophia 21 (3-4):339-349.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-01-28

Downloads
590 (#27,121)

6 months
114 (#28,177)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Kenneth L. Pearce
James Madison University

Citations of this work

Berkeley's Philosophy of Religion.Kenneth L. Pearce - 2017 - In Richard Brook & Bertil Belfrage (eds.), The Bloomsbury Companion to Berkeley. London: Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 458-483.
A Reiding of Berkeley's Theory of Vision.Hannes Ole Matthiessen - 2022 - Journal of Scottish Philosophy 20 (1):19-40.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Is Berkeley's World a Divine Language?James P. Danaher - 2002 - Modern Theology 18 (3):361-373.

Add more references