Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Berkeley - Essay Example

His arguments especially the “master argument” for material substance invites us to think deeply and conclude that ideas built by means of someone’s sense, memory and imagination are the only tools to create the presence of a material substance. By studying the arguments of Berkeley, one learns to incorporate the ideas of different senses to perceive the various objects, substances, and materials. In short, Berkeley’s vision highlights the mind along with ideas and offsets Newton’s absolute space and time.

The time becomes merely a succession of ideas in the individual’s mind, and space is reduced to an extension perceived by senses. (Fogelin, 2001)Berkeley’s arguments positively relate with Phillonous who disagrees with the majority of the philosophers to believe in the existence of matter. He like Berkeley emphasizes strongly upon the mind and argues that everything in this world depends upon mind. Hylas, who was the student of Phillonous believes in the matter. He states that all the worldly experiences of life remain unexplained without the existence of matter.

This philosophy of Hylas does not resemble that of Berkeley. Because Berkeley seems to stick on his famous principle, “Esse est percipi” (“to be is to be perceived”). Berkeley stated in his books that spirit itself cannot be perceived but can be perceived by its own effect. Similarly, Locke states that one has a relative idea of substances in general.