Quotation
Last reviewed:
“Their esse is percipi, nor is it possible they should have any existence out of the minds or thinking things which perceive them.”
George Berkeley · Idealism / Empiricism · Enlightenment · 1710
What does it mean?
Ordinary objects just are what is perceived; there is no hidden stuff behind them.
Did George Berkeley really say this?
The library’s label is Well attested. His own English, with the Latin tag 'esse is percipi' (to be is to be perceived). 'Their' refers to unthinking things.
Where it comes from
A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, §3
Approximate date: 1710.
How to use it
Try to imagine a tree no one perceives. Berkeley says you are perceiving it in imagination as you try.
A mindset reading
Test whether an idea you rely on has any content you could ever experience.
Understand the philosophy
He applies it to 'unthinking things', not to minds, which perceive.
- knowledge
- mind
FAQ
What does it mean?
Ordinary objects just are what is perceived; there is no hidden stuff behind them.
Did George Berkeley really say this?
Well attested. His own English, with the Latin tag 'esse is percipi' (to be is to be perceived). 'Their' refers to unthinking things.
Which work is it in?
A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, §3 Approximate date: 1710.