Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous
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Key facts
full title · Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous
author · Bishop George Berkeley
philosophical movement · Berkeley was an idealist, or immaterialist.
language · English
time and place written · Berkeley wrote the Three Dialogues in London, between 1710 and 1713.
date of publication · 1713
speaker · Philonous acts as Berkeley's mouthpiece, while Hylas is supposed to speak on behalf of Berkeley's materialist opponent.
areas of philosophy covered · The Dialogues is primarily concerned with laying out a radical new metaphysical picture. It also covers the topic of epistemology.
philosophical movements opposed · Berkeley has several opponents in the Dialogues, each occupying a different level of generality. On the most general level, his opponents are atheists, skeptics, and other freethinkers. On a more specific level, his opponent is anyone who believes in materialism. On the most particular level, the enemy he sets in his sights is John Locke.
other works by berkeley on similar topics · For the original version of Berkeley's idealist theory see Principles of Human Knowledge. For more of his attacks on freethinking scientists turn to De Motu, The Analyst, and A Defense of Free-thinking in Mathematics. Berkeley's correspondence with Samuel Johnson is also illuminating if you want to get a better grasp on the details of Berkeley's idealist picture of the world.
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