Berkeley’s Suitcase

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Philosophy Now
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Berkeley’s Suitcase

Post by Philosophy Now »

Hugh Hunter unpacks the sources of Berkeley’s idealism.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/117/Berkeleys_Suitcase
Impenitent
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Re: Berkeley’s Suitcase

Post by Impenitent »

what exists is that which is held in perception ...

how does one perceive other minds?

-Imp
jayjacobus
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Re: Berkeley’s Suitcase

Post by jayjacobus »

Before ideas comes perception and before perception comes representations. Representations don't have mass nor are atoms represented.
Where do representations come from? It seems obvious.
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Hobbes' Choice
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Re: Berkeley’s Suitcase

Post by Hobbes' Choice »

Bejesus if noting exists then every ting else makes sense.

If this were not a completely Irish manoeuvre, one might be accused of racism for criticising it.
Hugh H
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Re: Berkeley’s Suitcase

Post by Hugh H »

Impenitent, that's a very good question. Berkeley doesn't think we can perceive other minds. Instead, we perceive the changes they make to ideas. One way to think about this is that he has a version of the problem of other minds. Where Descartes says that we know of other minds because they make changes in the material world, Berkeley thinks we know of other minds because they make changes in the world of ideas that we all share.

Hobbes' Choice: Oh no, this is what people often say about Berkeley, but I don't think that's his view. My Berkeley is a dualist much like Descartes or Locke, except that where those guys think there are minds and matter/corpuscles, Berkeley thinks that there are minds and ideas. Berkeley's metaphysics are going to be unusual, of course, but in the end he wants to use that metaphysics to explain how it is true that there are chairs and whatnot. His project is no different than that of other philosophers with unusual ideas about matter (e.g. the Platonists).
Impenitent
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Re: Berkeley’s Suitcase

Post by Impenitent »

Hugh H wrote:Impenitent, that's a very good question. Berkeley doesn't think we can perceive other minds. Instead, we perceive the changes they make to ideas. One way to think about this is that he has a version of the problem of other minds. Where Descartes says that we know of other minds because they make changes in the material world, Berkeley thinks we know of other minds because they make changes in the world of ideas that we all share.
the world of ideas that "we" imperceptibly share...

I suppose the bishop had to have "someone" else to save...

-Imp
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