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Old 08-28-2003, 05:23 PM   #30 (permalink)
manifest_deity
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OK, this was actually the conclusion of my Philosophy final. If you'd like to read Berkeley's work: A dialogue between Hylas and Philonuse (or something like that) feel free, it's a good read though errant.

I do not agree with Berkeley’s ideology. Berkeley states that all sensible objects exist in the mind. But I think there is a contradiction in this statement. Berkeley views the mind as passive; it cannot control or change its perceptions, it simply has them. According to Berkeley, a mind cannot change the color of a chair or the temperature of water. He states that these perceptions exist in the mind but the mind has no control over these. So, a chair that is red will always be red and a tub of water will always be cold unless it is acted upon by some outside force. All said, the mind cannot change a sensible quality of an object, it simply perceives that quality. However, Berkeley leaves out a quality of an object that is very vital: its sensibility. Sensibility can be defined as the ability of something to be perceived, or sensed. So, if one cannot change the quality of something being red, or cold, or pleasurable, they cannot change the quality of it being sensible. This would mean that all objects are either always or never sensible, and because it is ridiculous to talk about objects that are never sensible, all objects must be constantly sensible. According to Berkeley, everything that is sensed, or perceived, exists in the mind. So, if something is always sensible, it must always be perceived or must be outside of the mind. Because no object is always perceived, objects must exist outside of the mind. To put it another way, the way in which sensibility is different from other qualities is that it is not dependant on perception; it is what enables us to have perceptions. So, if sensibility is not dependant on being perceived, and therefore not dependant on the mind, it can be said to independent, or outside the mind. Thus, material objects exist outside of the mind. That's what I beleive.

A side note: From a Christian perspective, this creates a wonderful connection between man (and woman, you know I'm refering to mankind) and the world God has put him in. One cannot exist fully without the other. The world would be without color, smell, texture, sound, and taste and man would obviously be without a world. This iconnection makes God's creation even more profound and intricate.
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