Alciphron, or the Minute Philosopher
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- No scanning noise detected (automatic measure over the whole text, not checked by hand)
- Extent:
- ~150,000 words · 714 passages
Cite this work
- APAGeorge Berkeley. (n.d.). Alciphron, or the Minute Philosopher. Digital reproduction: SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/george-berkeley/alciphron-or-the-minute-philosopher
- MLAGeorge Berkeley. Alciphron, or the Minute Philosopher. Digital reproduction, SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/george-berkeley/alciphron-or-the-minute-philosopher.
- ChicagoGeorge Berkeley. Alciphron, or the Minute Philosopher. Digital reproduction, SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/george-berkeley/alciphron-or-the-minute-philosopher.
Reference to the edition that SigPhi reproduces: SigPhi is its digital reproduction, not its publisher. The edition's year is not in the metadata (hence "n.d."), and the translator appears only when recorded.
What it is about
The seven dialogues of 1732 in which Berkeley defends the Christian religion against the free-thinkers of his day, and along the way sets out his whole philosophy without technical vocabulary.
Context and history
'Minute philosopher' is a jab: those who make great things small. The speakers Alciphron and Lysicles hold the positions of Shaftesbury and Mandeville, and Berkeley answers them one by one. The fourth dialogue contains his best-known argument, that of the visual language: to see is to interpret signs that do not resemble what they signify, as words do not, so that all nature is a discourse. The seventh is a theory of meaning well ahead of the twentieth century: some words work not by calling up ideas but by regulating conduct. It was written in Rhode Island, while he waited for money that never came to found a college in Bermuda.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
of life. But the fubduing prejudices and acquiring true knowledge, that Herculean labor, is the lad, being what demands the mod perfect abilities, and to which all other advantages are preparative. Right, faid Euphranory Alciphron hath touched our true defect. It was always my opinion, that as foon as we had provided fubfiftence for the body, our next care fhoukl be to improve the mind. But the defire of wealth fteps between and ingroileth men's thoughts. II. Alciphron. — Thought is that which we are told didinguifTieth man from bead : and freedom of thought makes as great a difference between man and man. It is to the noble aflerters of this privilege and perfection of human kind, the free-thinkers I mean, who have fprung up and multiplied of late years, that we are indebted for all thofe important difcoveries, that ocean of light which hath broke in and made its way, in fpite of ilavery and fuperftition. Euphrano'r, who is a fmcere enemy to both, tedified a great efteem for thofe worthies who had preferved their country from being ruined by them, having fpread fo much light and knowledge over the land. He added, that he liked the name and character of a freethinker 5 but in his fenfe of the word, every honed inquirer after truth in any age or country was intitled to it. He therefore defired to know what this feet was that Alciphron had fpoken of as newly fprung up ? what were their tenets ? what were their difcoveries ? and wherein they employed themfelves, for the benefit of mankind ? Of all which, he mould think himfelf obliged, if Alciphron would inform him. That I mall, very eafily, replied Alciphron, for I profefs myfelf one of the number, and my mod intimate friends are fome of the mod confiderable among them. And perceiving that Euphranor heard -'him with refpect, he proceeded very fluently. You mud know, faid he, that the mind of man may be fitly compared to a piece of land. V so MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. I.]