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Quote by George Berkeley

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Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous

This book is a collection of dialogues that delve into the fundamental questions of existence, perception, and the nature of the self. The conversations between Hylas and Philonous, two fictional characters, serve as a platform for examining various philosophical concepts and arguments. more

Author

George Berkeley
George Berkeley

George Berkeley, born on March 12, 1685, and died on January 12, 1753, was a renowned philosopher of the 18th century. He is best known for his idealist philosophy, advocating the view that existence is dependent on perception. His major works include 'Principles of Human Knowledge' and 'A New Theory of Vision'. more

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“Sensation establishes what is actually given, thinking enables us to recognize its meaning, feeling tells us its value, and finally intuition points to the possibilities of the whence and whither that lie within the immediate facts. In this way, we can orientate ourselves with respect to the immediate world as completely as when we locate a place geographically by latitude and longitude.”

“But now I want to say things that comfort me and that are a little free. For example: Thursdat is a day transparent as an insect's wing in the light. Just as Monday is a compact day. Ultimately, far beyond thought, I live from these ideas, if ideas is what they are. They are sensations that transform into ideas because I must use words. Even just using them mentally. The primary thought thinks with words.”

“If you are mindful, Asclepius, these things should seem true to you, but they will be beyond belief if you have no knowledge. To understand is to believe, and not to believe is not to understand. Reasoned discourse does get to the truth, but mind is powerful, and, when it has been guided by reason up to a point, it has the means to get the truth. After mind had considered all this carefully and had discovered that all of it is in harmony with the discoveries of reason, it came to believe, and in this beautiful belief it found rest. By an act of god, then, those who have understood find what I have been saying believable, but those who have not understood do not find it believable. Let this much be told about understanding and sensation.”