ORIGINS OF MODERNITY

philosophy

Berkeley, George (1685-1753)
A treatise concerning the principles of human knowledge.
Dvblin : Printed by Aaron Rhames, for Jeremy Pepyat, bookseller, 1710.

Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753) wrote this, his major philosophical work, at the age of 25. The Principles of Human Knowledge is a powerful attack on the Lockean theory of abstraction and presents a bold new metaphysics in which Berkeley claims that objects only exist when they are perceived. The title page of this first edition claims that the work is 'Part I', however no other parts were ever written. The Principles is still widely read today and has always been valued for its clarity and directness even if its doctrines have rarely been endorsed.