RE: Berkeley's Idealism
March 14, 2012 at 5:06 pm
(This post was last modified: March 14, 2012 at 5:07 pm by Neo-Scholastic.)
(March 14, 2012 at 4:14 pm)Chuck Wrote: The dismissal of it [idealism]...is not without evidence. It is based on the evidence that the assertion lacks any sort of evidence that warrants a response other than dismissal.
The problem is a bit more subtle than your answer suggests. Berkeley’s Idealism claims that all knowledge reduces to perceived phenomena. You cannot deny that perception happens. But you can reasonably deny that a physical reality (or deity for that "matter") is necessary to support perception. Berkeley’s Idealism says, “Prove that physical matter exists,” and “Give me evidence of any reality other than perceived phenomena.” According to your criteria, physical reductionism is equally worthy of dismissal.


