Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous

First published in 1713, this work was designed as a vivid and persuasive presentation of the remarkable picture of reality that Berkeley had first presented two years earlier in his Principles. His central claim there, as here, was that the world is not material but mental. Berkeley uses this thesis as the ground for a new argument for the existence of God, and the dialogue form enables him to raise and respond to many of the natural objections to his position. This volume uses the 1734 edition of the text, supplemented by an analysis of the Dialogues and a glossary.

University of Reading