Others indeed may talk, and write, and fight about liberty, and make an outward pretence to it but the free-thinker alone is truly free.
George BerkeleyRead
Doth the Reality of sensible things consist in being perceived? or, is it something distinct from their being perceived, and that bears no relation to the mind?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote questions whether reality exists independently of our perception or if it is solely dependent on being perceived.
In this quote, George Berkeley explores the philosophical debate regarding the nature of reality and perception. He questions whether the essence of tangible objects lies in their existence outside of human consciousness or if their reality is fully contingent upon being perceived by a mind. This inquiry challenges our understanding of what it means for something to exist, prompting deeper reflection on the relationship between the observer and the observed.
Themes
RealityPerceptionExistencePhilosophyConsciousness
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy class discussing the nature of reality.
More from George Berkeley
All quotes βTo be is to be perceived (Esse est percipi)." Or, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?
George BerkeleyRead
Truth is the cry of all, but the game of few.
George BerkeleyRead
All the choir of heaven and furniture of earth - in a word, all those bodies which compose the frame of the world - have not any subsistence without a mind.
George BerkeleyRead
The same principles which at first view lead to skepticism, pursued to a certain point, bring men back to common sense.
George BerkeleyRead
Many things, for aught I know, may exist, whereof neither I nor any other man hath or can have any idea or notion whatsoever.
George BerkeleyRead
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