Berkeleys and Humes Philosophy About God Essay - 1565 Words

Berkeleys and Humes Philosophy about God When people think about empiricists, they usually discuss views of great philosophers such as George Berkeley and David Hume. Empiricists believe that all knowledge comes from the senses. Rationalists, on the other hand, believe that we can gain knowledge through the inspection of innate ideas. Although Berkeley and Hume are both empiricists, they still have different opinions about the existence of God. Berkeleys philosophy uses God as the central figure in his metaphysical system. However, Hume uses scientific observation to postulate his theories and he does not rely on God to support his arguments. I will argue that Humes Philosophy is stronger then Berkeleys George Berkeley was an†¦show more content†¦He says that some of our ideas are not real, such as ideas that come from our imagination or memory. The way we can distinguish real ideas from false ideas, is that real things are more clear and vivid. Berkeley says that real ideas come to us unmeditated and because they are involuntary, we can not control them as we please. From this idea, Berkeley suggests that there must be some higher being that controls the sensation and ideas we have. He concludes by saying that this higher being must be God. This view places God as the ultimate perceiver because an object does not exist if I perceive it; it only exists if God perceives it. Everything exists because it is being perceived and continues to be perceived in Gods mind. However, God allows us to view and experience his ideas through sensations. Although all ideas come from God, Berkeley still argues that none of these things has a mind-independent existence out in the world (Goldstein). The problem with Berkeleys metaphysical system is that he relies and retreats to God only when he needs him and does not actually prove the existence of God. He merely states that since our sensations are not caused by us, they must be caused by God. This view is weak and not very persuasive because Berkeley concludes that there can be no other reasonable explanation for ideas, therefore it must have been God that put them in our minds.Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of George Berkeley s Philosophy1516 Words   |  7 Pagesachievements. Many critiques of Berkeley are results of misunderstanding Berkeley’s philosophy. One very famous critique is from Samuel Johnson who lived around the same time as Berkeley. Johnson kicked a stone and said, â€Å"I refute it thus†. Why did Johnson believe he could refute Berkeley by kicking a stone? Did he misunderstand Berkeley, and if not what did he mean by this? To discover what Johnson meant we must first learn about what he was refuting. Berkeley has three main beliefs: 1. Idealism:Read MoreBranches of Philosophy8343 Words   |  34 PagesBranches of philosophy The following branches are the main areas of study: †¢ Metaphysics investigates the nature of being and the world. Traditional branches are cosmology and ontology. †¢ Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge, and whether knowledge is possible. Among its central concerns has been the challenge posed by skepticism and the relationships between truth, belief, and justification. †¢ Ethics, or moral philosophy, is concerned with questions of how