Single Idea 6403

[catalogued under 11. Knowledge Aims / C. Knowing Reality / 3. Idealism / c. Empirical idealism]

Full Idea

Berkeley's thesis is that reality ultimately consists of a community of minds and their ideas; one of the minds (God) is infinite, and causes most of the ideas.

Gist of Idea

For Berkelely, reality is ideas and a community of minds, including God's

Source

report of George Berkeley (Three Dialogues of Hylas and Philonous [1713]) by A.C. Grayling - Russell Ch.2

Book Reference

Grayling,A.C.: 'Russell' [OUP 1996], p.25


A Reaction

I think Russell nicely pinpoints what is wrong with Berekely, which is that he confuses ideas with their contents. If I think about my garden, the garden is real (probably), which is the content, and they idea is just a way of thinking.