Of Ideas, the Mind, and the Universe

Perception is a concept that we take for granted in our everyday lives. We assume that what we perceive are the physical properties of the objects we encounter. George Berkeley, through his work Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous , questions these notions of what is truly real. Berkeley voices his opinion through the character Philonous, who assumes a very similar role to Socrates in the Platonic dialogues. First, it is necessary to distinguish between different types of sensory perception for clarity’s sake. Philonous systematically shows where all sensory perceptions break down to qualia within the mind in the beginning of his dialogue, first with secondary qualities, and then primary qualities. To explain our sense of objective reality, Philonous refers to an ultimate observer, who observes everything, at all times. There are however some issues with Berkeley’s idealist theory, as I will explore at the end of this paper.

In order to discuss sensory perceptions, we need a definition of the kinds of things that can be perceived, and a general acceptance of the terms used throughout the dialogue. Locke, in his work An Essay Concerning Human Understanding , describes an important distinction between the different qualities that we perceive in objects. He terms the two types of qualities perceived within objects as primary and secondary qualities. Primary qualities are defined as those which are inherent within the object (Locke gives examples of extension and form) , while secondary qualities are those created within the mind from primary qualities . Berkley uses the term “sensible quality” to express the same concept as Locke’s primary qualities: those qualities which can be observed directly by our senses . Once these ...

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...tween actual perception and the sensations produced within our minds. It is a fallacy of ignorance to assume that there is no existence outside of the mind because we have no way of perceiving it.

Throughout the Dialogues between Philonous and Hylas, Berkeley presents a moderately compelling case (with the exceptions of a few logical flaws, as stated above) for the existence of qualities solely within the mind. Secondary qualities, he shows most definitely exist within the mind, through a number of thought experiments. He also proves, however, that those qualities which we term primary qualities are not in fact primary, and instead exist within the mind. To explain our sense of objective reality, Berkeley turns to God, and argues that these qualities exist within the mind of God. Berkeley’s dialogues remain one of the strongest supporting documents for idealism.