Idealism - philosophy

3/3 definition for Idealism

The immediate objects of perception (i.e ordinary objects such as tables, chairs, etc.) are mind-dependent objects. There are no mind-independent objects.

Esse est percipi

To be is to be perceived

Berkeleys argument to primary and secondary qualities

Primary qualities are also subjective to perceptual variation, not just secondary.

Eg: Size, motion, solidity.

Size - to a small thing something bigger looks big but to a bigger thing it will look small.

Berkeley reason of rejecting primary qualities being essential and mind independence

If you remove all qualities from an apple because they are all mind dependent - then nothing is left that is mind-independent. Berkeley rejects the existence of mind independent objects completely.

The Master Argument

Hylas - Realist

Philonous - Idealist (Berkeley’s mouthpiece/proxy)

Why? To make it more engaging and easier to comprehend, safer to express views as it creates distance between philosophers and their ideas. (no criticism as he is bishop)

“it is logically impossible to conceive of an un conceived object, therefore we cannot know of mind-independent objects”

Veridical perception

An accurate, truthful experience of the physical world

responses to the master argument

-Conceiving and Perceiving are not the same thing.

•Conceiving - imagine it logically

•Perceiving - Using our senses

-Russel: Thoughts cannot exist outside the mind, but objects that those thoughts are about, can.

God in idealism

God is omnipresent so there is continuity and regularity due to the fact that he is always perceiving.

Ideas and perceptions have great complexity and systematicity - that mind must be God.

Contradiction with God

Hallucinations and illusions.

Berkeley: regularity of past experiences tells the difference between hallucinations and reality.

Yet: what if hallucinations are constant?

this also makes illusions and hallucinations the same when they are not.

This doesn’t explain why they happen, only how we tell the difference between reality and hallucinations/illusions.

Solipsism

We can only be sure that our own mind exists.

The only mind we experience is our own so everyone else is just a perception in our minds.

Solipsism leads to nihilism

nihilism - there is no point to life