George Berkeley

["Philosopher", "Bishop of Cloyne", "Pioneer of Subjective Idealism"]

Born Mar 12, 1685

Kilkenny, Kingdom of Ireland

Passed Away Jan 14, 1753 Oxford, Great Britain

Lifespan 67 years old

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Notice / Correction

"To be is to be perceived, or to perceive (Esse est percipi aut percipere)."

Archival Overview

Irish philosopher and Anglican bishop who formulated subjective idealism (immaterialism), asserting with the maxim 'esse est percipi' (to be is to be perceived) that material objects exist only as perceptions in minds.

Biographical Record

Educated at Trinity College Dublin, George Berkeley (1685–1753) published 'A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge' in 1710 at age twenty-five. He attacked John Locke's distinction between primary and secondary qualities, demonstrating that mind-independent material substance is a philosophical impossibility.

For Berkeley, physical reality consists entirely of ideas perceived by human minds and sustained continuously by the omnipresent perception of God. In 'The Analyst' (1734), he published a brilliant mathematical critique of Newton's calculus, mocking infinitesimals as 'ghosts of departed quantities.'

Key Life Milestones

1710

Treatise Concerning Principles of Human Knowledge

Published his foundational argument for immaterialism, dismantling mind-independent material substance.

1734

The Analyst

Published groundbreaking critique of Newton's calculus, attacking the logical foundation of fluxions.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Christ Church Cathedral
Oxford, United Kingdom

                         GPS: 51.7503, -1.2550                    

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