The Problems of Philosophy · Character

Bishop Berkeley

The idealist bishop who argued that to be is to be perceived—and whose argument Russell traces to a single fatal equivocation.

supporting

Also known as Berkeley

First appearance: Idealism

As a supporting figure in The Problems of Philosophy, Bishop Berkeley is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

His idealist philosophy, denying the existence of matter independent of perception, is critically examined.

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Berkeley holds that colours, sounds, and shapes cannot exist apart from a mind, since what we apprehend is always an 'idea.' Russell grants the force of the position and then locates its flaw: Berkeley confuses the act of apprehension, which is mental, with the object apprehended, which need not be. The distinction matters enormously, because on it rests the mind's whole power to be acquainted with something other than itself. Berkeley is the book's most instructive wrong turn—wrong in a way that sharpens what knowledge actually is.

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See Bishop Berkeley in Idealism

Character Web

7 connections

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Relationship types

Social
Professional
Psychological

Character groups

Protagonist
Historical and philosophical figures

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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Relationships

Bismarck
social · ambivalent
Bishop Berkeley and Bismarck are historical figures whose interactions are likely… How this plays out →
Leibniz
professional · ambivalent
Hylas
psychological · negative
Hume
professional · ambivalent
Descartes
professional · negative
Plato
professional · positive
Bismarck
social · ambivalent
Bishop Berkeley and Bismarck are historical figures whose interactions are likely… How this plays out →

Bismarck
Bishop Berkeley and Bismarck are historical figures whose interactions are likely philosophical or political discussions in the text.
Leibniz
Bishop Berkeley and Leibniz are philosophers engaged in contrasting metaphysical debates.
Hylas
Berkeley uses Hylas as a philosophical foil in dialogues, representing a materialist viewpoint to be refuted.
Hume
Berkeley and Hume are philosophers with overlapping empiricist ideas, though Hume extends Berkeley's arguments in new directions.
Descartes
Berkeley critiques Descartes' dualism and materialism from an idealist perspective.
Plato
Berkeley and Plato are linked by their shared idealist philosophies, though with significant differences.
Bismarck
Bishop Berkeley and Bismarck are historical figures whose interactions are likely philosophical or political discussions in the text.

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See Bishop Berkeley in Idealism

In the story

Bishop Berkeley appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Problems of Philosophy
His idealist philosophy, denying the existence of matter independent of perception, is critically examined.
Appearance and Reality
Berkeley is introduced as the philosopher who first prominently argued that the immediate objects of the senses do not exist independently of minds, denying matter in favor of a world of minds and ideas.
III: The Nature of Matter
Mentioned as contending that matter is ideas in the minds of perceivers.
Idealism
Berkeley's idealism is the primary subject of the chapter; Russell analyzes his argument that to be is to be perceived and critiques the confusion between act and object.
VII: On Our Knowledge of General Principles
Mentioned as a British empiricist philosopher, part of the tradition represented by Locke, Berkeley, and Hume.
IX: The World of Universals
Berkeley's rejection of abstract ideas and his idealism are criticized; Russell argues that Berkeley and Hume failed to recognize relations as universals.
Bibliographical Note
Recommended work: Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous.

Chapter companion notes

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See Bishop Berkeley in Idealism

See Bishop Berkeley in The Problems of Philosophy