Berkeley and Irish Philosophy

This is a new collection of previously published papers by one of the leading experts on the superstar of Irish Philosophy, George Berkeley (1685-1753). The first essay in David Berman's new collection examines the full range of Berkeley's achievement, looking not only at his classic works of 1709-1713, but also "Alciphron" (1732) and his final book, the enigmaic "Siris" (1744). Item two examines a key problem in Berkeley's "New Theory of Vision" (1709): why does the moon look larger on the horizon than in the meridian? The third item criticizes the view, still uncritically accepted by many, that Berkeley's attacks on materialism are levelled against Locke. Part 2 opens with Berman's two essays of 1982 - the first to show that Berkeley came from a rich and coherent Irish philosophical background. Next comes a discussion of the link between Berkeley and Francis Hutcheson, and particularly their answers to the Molyneux problem, which Berman takes to be the root problem of Irish philosophy. The fourth essay looks at the impact of the golden age Irish philosophy on eighteenth-century American philosophy, where, again, Berkeley has a central position. The last item examines Berkeley's influence on Samuel Beckett. Part 3 shows the many-sidedness of Berkeley's career, which is missed by those who concentrate exclusively on his work of 1709-1713. Each item here presents new material on Berkeley's life, or on his works and thought; most of these are new letters, not included in the Luce-Jessop edition of the "Works of Berkeley". This section, therefore, can be seen a supplement to volumes 8 and 9 of the "Works" and also to Luce's "Life of Berkeley". "Continuum Studies in British Philosophy" presents cutting-edge scholarship in the history of British philosophy. The wholly original arguments, perspectives and research findings in titles in this series make it an important and stimulating resource for students and academics from across the field.

David Berman is Professor of Philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin. His previous books on Berkeley include Alciphron...: In Focus (ed.), Routledge 1993, George Berkeley: Idealism and the Man, OUP 1994 and Berkeley: Experimental Philosophy, Phoenix Books 1997.