The philosophical ideas of Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1783) are ones which are terribly difficult to explain to non-philosophers without evoking any eye-rolls. The question of whether a tree falling in the forest with nobody present makes a sound or not is typically seen as a perfect example of how philosophers contribute nothing at all to human well-being. It will be the purpose of this post, however, I will attempt to show that not only does Berkeley’s philosophy give us more than a merely trivial thought experiment, but that the falling-tree story is not even a very accurate description of the absolute idealism which Berkeley advocates. (more…)
May 27, 2006
Bernard Mandeville
Upon coming back from a brief break from blogging, I’ve come to realize that I am so far behind schedule with my intellectual history series so as to leave me in a bit of despair. There are A LOT of topics which I wish to blog on as well (topics such as emotions, argumentation, axiology and religion), but I feel that such topics would be treated in a far more detailed and responsible manner after I’ve completed my survey of Western thought. So without further adieu, let’s continue with our journey. (more…)
