Berkeley (PDF)

Irish philosopher George Bishop Berkeley was one of the greatest
philosophers of the early modern period. Along with David Hume and
John Locke he is considered one of the fathers of British
Empiricism. Berkeley is a clear, concise, and sympathetic
introduction to George Berkeley's philosophy, and a thorough
review of his most important texts. Daniel E. Flage explores his
works on vision, metaphysics, morality, and economics in an attempt
to develop a philosophically plausible interpretation of
Berkeley's oeuvre as whole.

Many scholars blur the rejection of material substance
(immaterialism) with the claim that only minds and things dependent
upon minds exist (idealism). However Flage shows how, by
distinguishing idealism from immaterialism and arguing that
Berkeley's account of what there is (metaphysics) is
dependent upon what is known (epistemology), a careful and
plausible philosophy emerges.

The author sets out the implications of this valuable insight for
Berkeley's moral and economic works, showing how they are a
natural outgrowth of his metaphysics, casting new light on the
appreciation of these and other lesser-known areas of
Berkeley's thought.

Daniel E. Flage's Berkeley presents the student and general
reader with a clear and eminently readable introduction to
Berkeley's works which also challenges standard
interpretations of Berkeley's philosophy.