In This Dialogue Berkeley Defends His Belief That Only Ideas

question 11

True/False

In this dialogue Berkeley defends his belief that only ideas exist. "To be is to be perceived"-to be is to be an idea in a mind-and hence matter existing apart from the mind does not exist. In this dialogue Hylas (from the Greek word for "matter") debates with Philonous (from the Greek "love of mind"). The unique thing about Berkeley's idealism is that unlike traditional idealism (e.g., Plato's), it is not rationalistic. Berkeley does not propose that ideas exist independently but rather assumes an empirical foundation. He agrees with Locke that all ideas originate in sense experience and proceeds to show that all we ever experience are ideas. The only reality that exists to be known is perceivers and perceptions. To hold all of this ideal reality together one must posit a Divine mind that perceives us and hence causes our existence as ideas in the Divine's mind.
-Berkeley and Locke say that only ideas exist.

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Definitions:

Social Class

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FICA-OASDI

The Federal Insurance Contributions Act Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program, which funds Social Security and is paid for by payroll taxes.

FUTA

An abbreviation for the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, which imposes a payroll tax on businesses to fund state workforce agencies.

SUTA

State Unemployment Tax Act - a tax that U.S. employers pay to their state to fund unemployment benefits.