The Influence of George Berkeley
George Berkeley (1685-1753) was an Irish clergyman and philosopher who studied and taught at Trinity College in Ireland, where he completed some of his best known works on the immateriality of matter (believing that all matter was composed of ideas of perception and therefore did not exist if it was not being perceived).
Coleridge himself acknowledge the influence of Berkeley on his work, in particular his poem “This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison” when he wrote a letter to Robert Southey in July 1797, in which the poem was included, with the following note, “You remember, I am a Berkleian.” We can see the influence of Berkeleyin “This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison” in three main ways: perceptions of light, the idea of a divine spirit in everything yet still separate and itself, and the idea that there are as many “minima visibilia” in an enclosed space as out in the wide-open spaces.
According to Stephen Prickett, one of the main ideas that Berkeley had hoped to prove was that all reality is mental, but the idea that truly came through in his works is that each person does not perceive object, but instead qualities (like color, form, sent, and sound), and each person perceives these qualities differently. Prickett goes further to claim that the effect of this idea on Coleridge “was to make him intensely conscious of light” (12). We can see this obsession with light and they way it plays on different object throughout “This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison”:
Pale beneath the blaze
Hung the transparent foliage; and I watch’d
Some broad and sunny leaf, and lov’d to see
The shadow of the leaf and stem above
Dappling its sunshine! And that walnut-tree
Was richly ting’d, and a deep radiance lay
Full on the ancient ivy, which usurps
Those fronting elms, and now, with blackest mass
Makes their dark branches gleam a lighter hue
Through the late twilight…
Coleridge’s preoccupation with light and the way in which it changes the perception of the object is what links this passage with the ideas of Berkeley. Even though Coleridge and many other Romantics (such as Wordsworth) used the came to different conclusions about perception than Berkeley, his theories about light “pointed to the why in which such phenomena of light as the rainbow could be used as a scientific model for the imagination as a perceptual relationship between man and nature” (Prickett 13).
Supporting Point Why should college campuses be any different? They contain the country’s future presidents, senators and judges. They are also one of the most vulnerable places because most colleges don’t allow firearms on campus. The most important factor is that many students don’t pay attention to their surroundings so they are put in dangerous situations and they should be able to defend themselves to a certain extent.
...e adjacent to the anterior and superior aspects (Dhar). Type III is where the tubercle is normal, but there are free bone particles in similar distribution (Dhar).
The central part of Berkeley’s metaphysics seems paradoxical or even absurd. Its claim is that what we call solid, and indeed everything else that we find laid out in the three-dimensional physical word that is apparently around us, is only fictional. It appears to be there, but it does not really have an independent existence. The physical world is, according to Berkeley, dependent on and only perceived through a mental state. In Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, Berkeley tried to explain how a seemingly noncommonsensical theory can actually consist of commonsensical characteristics. There are two contentions made by Berkeley in his attempt to prove that commonsense is the basis of his theory, rather than absurdity. The first is that in order for a material object to exist there must be a perceiver. The second is that of the existence of finite spirits (us) and an Infinite Spirit (God).
There is a saying that says, “Why fix something that isn’t broke?” In other words, if something is doing good the way it is already then don’t change it. The same applies with concealed gun carry on college campuses. If college campuses have been statistically proven to be one of the safest public places, then why try to fix them by bringing concealed guns into campuses. I believe that there should not be concealed handguns allowed in college campuses because it will make students more unsafe, would make the learning environment in class a very unhealthy experience, and cause trouble for the campus police to spot a real shooter.
One of those ways is accidental shooting. Guns on campus may lead to accidental shootings. Not every student is a professional gun handler who knows how to use a gun. Accidental shootings are very common because people lack the basic gun training. “The potential for accidental discharge or misuse of firearms at on-campus or off-campus parties where large numbers of students are gathered or at student gatherings where alcohol or drugs are being consumed, as well as the potential for guns to be used as a means to settle disputes between or among students. There is also a real concern that campus police officers responding to a situation involving an active shooter may not be
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 27 million Americans (LeMone, Burke, Bauldoff, 2011). It is caused when the cartilage in the joints breaks down, causing the bones of the joint to rub against one another. This causes pain, stiffness, and loss of motion in the joint. Osteoarthritis is most prevalent in those 65 and older, but can affect those of any age. In addition, African Americans and Hispanics report a higher incidence of arthritis than Caucasians (LeMone, Burke, Bauldoff, 2011). Although the cause is unknown, it is believed that the increasing age of the population, prevalence of obesity and injuries add to the progression of the condition. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body; however, those of the hand, hip, and knee are often the most common. This condition may be asymptomatic, or may present symptoms including soreness, stiffness and pain. The symptoms are more common in the older population, those with limited activity levels, and those who are obese. Joint cartilage thins over time, causing an increased risk for symptoms in the elderly, and obesity puts extra pressure on the joints during activity. Osteoarthritis is commonly diagnosed with the use of a physical assessment along with results of radiology testing such as X-Ray and MRI.
Secondly, some people believe guns should not be allowed on campus because they may go off by accident. True, a gun may go off by accident, but according to, Students for Concealed Carry, out of 150 college campuses that allow concealed carry, there have been only three accidental discharges (Common). Two of them were by staff and one by a student. All three of the accidental discharges resulted in non-life-threatening discharges in which no one was injured (Common). All three incidents could have been prevented through proper training and practice, such as wearing a
On April 17, 2013, the community of West, Texas, suffered a devastating and heartbreaking event in the evening hours. After a fire broke out inside the West Fertilizer plant, a massive explosion leveled the facility, caused millions of dollars in damage to surrounding buildings, and took the lives of over a dozen people. Sadly, the majority of those killed were volunteer firefighters who had responded to the fire and were unable to retreat to a safe distance before the explosion. Nearly 200 injuries were also reported to have been treated at local hospitals (Wood, 2013). The explosion was said to be caused by the combination of the fire and large stores of ammonium nitrate fertilizer at the plant.
Colleges desire a crime free environment, however, the fact is, many campuses already have several violent crimes that occur on a regular basis. Crime in schools and colleges is “one of the most troublesome social problems in the Nation today” (“Crime in Schools and Colleges.”). Crime is already an occurring issue because little to no changes have been made to discourage criminal activity. Seen as an ever growing issue, college crime could easily lessen if changes occurred. Criminal activity will lessen if a campus carry were enacted. Permitting gun carry will allow for a positive change, because criminals will be aware of the fact that students may possess weapons. Since 2012, more than 150 colleges in the United States have allowed concealed carry, and “not one of these campuses has seen a single resulting act of violence (including threats) or a single resulting suicide attempt” (“Common Arguments Against Campus Carry.”). This proves permitting guns will allow for a safer, more productive campus. Violence will not drastically increase if campus carry is enacted; the opposite effect will occur. If students who possess their concealed carry licenses are already allowed to carry guns into certain businesses and areas, what difference will it make to continue that carry onto a college campus. If a student wanted to commit violent acts, they could already commit them off campus property. Campus carry promotes safety, and helps diminish criminal
Guns should be banned from all college campuses nationwide. Many students, teachers, and college presidents strongly oppose hidden, loaded guns on campuses because it will lead to increased violence, accidental shootings, and the non-carrying public would feel unsafe around the carrying public. If all elementary to high schools have a strict ban on guns for their campuses, it seems logical to extend the ban up to higher education. Now that it is more common for students in high school to take dual classes on a college campus, extending would ensure safety of the minors. Guns have a purpose at other arenas, but on a campus that is intended for learning and education it would be best to keep
...nd this is the result of the unity of synthesis of imagination and apperception. The unity of apperception which is found in all the knowledge is defined by Kant as affinity because it is the objective ground of knowledge. Furthermore, all things with affinity are associable and they would not be if it was not for imagination because imagination makes synthesis possible. It is only when I assign all perceptions to my apperception that I can be conscious of the knowledge of those perceptions. This understanding of the objects, also known as Faculty of Rules, relies on the sense of self and is thus, the source of the laws of nature.
As an idealist, Berkeley believed that nothing is real except for minds and their ideas. Ideas do not exist independently of the mind, but rather it is the mind that provides validity to the concepts. Something exists only if someone has the idea of it. It is the acknowledgement made by humans that takes a mere ambiguous idea and gives it not only meaning but its very existence. If one looks at the opposing idea, it’s difficult to completely grasp the concept that should an individual be unaware of either an object or an idea, it’s existence is subjective. The reason being is that, how can one be aware of the lack of existence of something, should they be ignorant of the actual object. There is nothing to prove its existence should the idea of it never manifest itself in the mind of an individual.
The Romantics believed that the human imagination transcends physical boundaries, allowing access to the elusive ‘sublime’. As a Romantic, Coleridge perceives the human mind as a powerful contributor to the creative process, and a vehicle capable of transporting man to a transcendent realm. In ‘Kubla Khan’, the paradoxically imagined “stately pleasure dome” immediately highlights the embellished reality, as the man-made physically constructed dome ironically contains a natural and organic thriving paradise. The “fertile ground”, by evoking connotations of creation, metaphorically serves as the landscape of the poetic mind, enacting Coleridge’s theory described in Biographia Literaria of the primary imagination as an impulse of creativity. Thus, Coleridge elucidates the poet’s transcendence above the mortal and the finite, mirroring Burke’s theory of the sublime, as a “mixture of horror ...
When Dorian Gray first meets Lord Henry at the studio of artist Basil Hallward, he is fascinated with Lord Henry’s wit and the radical social doctrines that he advocates. Dorian is easily molded and falls for the argument he hears. According to Lord Henry the goal of new hedonism, “to realize one’s nature perfectly…to give form to every feeling, expression to every thought, reality to every dream” (198-199). As far as philosophies go this seems rather innocuous until Lord Henry goes on to clarify that, “every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind, and poisons us…the only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing” (199). Lord Henry’s advice entices the malleable Dorian, who does not seem to realize that Lord Henry may advocate giving in to every impulse, even the destructive ones, but he does not follow this advice himself. As Basil Hallward informs Lord Henry, “you never say a moral thing, and you never do a wrong thing. Your cynicism is simply a pose” (188). Dorian, however, takes Lord Henry’s advice concerning new hedonism at face value and the results are disastrous.
The Picture of Dorian Gray was a remarkably well-written book due to the reaction of its themes by society. In the preface of the novel, Wilde introduces the opinion that "...there is no moral or immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. That is all." Numerous views can be taken upon this fastidious comment. Many would agree that Wilde is justifiably correct because the preface was written with the intention that his readers understand the deeper meaning of the themes than worrying about whether it is considered morally acceptable; or perhaps, the view that it could be considered moral or immoral by the impact it has on the readers' lives. Even though there are several positions held on what The Picture of Dorian Gray's most important meaning is about, the most prominent is the novel as a moral book. Lord Henry Wotton immediately begins to corrupt Dorian's mind after they first meet by forcing his immoral thoughts of "yielding to temptation" which allows Lord Henry to hold his attention. After listening for quite a while to Lord Henry's views, Dorian begins to change his own to match them, and therefore begins to live a life of immorality. The yellow book is a device that Lord Henry uses to further corrupt and drive Dorian deeper into the pits of sin. Through Lord Henry's influence, the changes in Dorian Gray, and the impact of the yellow book, Oscar Wilde efficiently reveals The Picture of Dorian Gray as a moral book.