George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life

George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life - Paperback

$47.79
$47.79
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George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life
  • George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life
George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life - Paperback

George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life - Paperback

by Tom Jones
$47.79
$47.79

Book Overview

A comprehensive intellectual biography of the Enlightenment philosopher

In George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life, Tom Jones provides a comprehensive account of the life and work of the preeminent Irish philosopher of the Enlightenment. From his early brilliance as a student and fellow at Trinity College Dublin to his later years as Bishop of Cloyne, Berkeley brought his searching and powerful intellect to bear on the full range of eighteenth-century thought and experience.

Jones brings vividly to life the complexities and contradictions of Berkeley's life and ideas. He advanced a radical immaterialism, holding that the only reality was minds, their thoughts, and their perceptions, without any physical substance underlying them. But he put forward this counterintuitive philosophy in support of the existence and ultimate sovereignty of God. Berkeley was an energetic social reformer, deeply interested in educational and economic improvement, including for the indigenous peoples of North America, yet he believed strongly in obedience to hierarchy and defended slavery. And although he spent much of his life in Ireland, he followed his time at Trinity with years of travel that took him to London, Italy, and New England, where he spent two years trying to establish a university for Bermuda, before returning to Ireland to take up an Anglican bishopric in a predominantly Catholic country.

Jones draws on the full range of Berkeley's writings, from philosophical treatises to personal letters and journals, to probe the deep connections between his life and work. The result is a richly detailed and rounded portrait of a major Enlightenment thinker and the world in which he lived.
ISBN9780691217499
Author Tom Jones
PublisherPrinceton University Press
GenreBiography and Philosophy
FormatPaperback
PublishedMarch 2025
LanguageENG- English
Pages648
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Biography & Autobiography Nonfiction Philosophy

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More by Tom Jones

George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life

George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life - Paperback

George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life - Paperback

By Tom Jones

About Tom Jones

Tom Jones was born Thomas Jones Woodward in South Wales to a traditional coal-mining family. He began singing at an early age and landed is first record contract in 1964, winning a Grammy in 1965 for It's Not Unusual. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2006 for his services to music, his recordings have spanned the spectrum of musical styles over 60 years. He lives with his wife of 58 years, Melinda, in Wales and California. They have one son.

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