Abstract

This book presents a critical examination of Berkeley’s thesis that "... all the choir of heaven and furniture of the earth, in a word, all those bodies which compose the mighty frame of the world, have not any subsistence without a mind...". The approach adopted by the author is both analytical and historical. It is analytical in that arguments and terms are examined which are essential to Berkeley’s thesis. The arguments and terminology of the Principles are repeatedly compared with Berkeley’s views in Alciphron, the Dialogues, the New Theory of Vision, and the Philosophical Commentaries. The approach is historical in that it attempts to explain the materialist position against which Berkeley reacted so vehemently. In keeping with this purpose, particular attention is paid to the views of Boyle, Galileo, and Locke.