ABSTRACT
George Berkeley was born near Kilkenny, Ireland, and, although an Anglican of English descent, he emphatically considered himself to be Irish. He studied at Kilkenny College and in 1700 went on to Trinity College, Dublin. In 1711, he wrote Discourse on Passive Obedience. Two years later, he published a more popular exposition of the doctrine of his Principles in the form of Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous. In 1733, he published Alciphron, or The Minute Philosopher, against the freethinkers, and in the following year The Analyst, a criticism of Newton. That same year, he was made Bishop of Cloyne. Berkeley saw his philosophy as a common-sense attack on the metaphysical excesses of medieval Scholastics, Continental Rationalists, and even fellow empiricists such as Hobbes and Locke. Although Berkeley understood his philosophy to be common sense, his readers drew different conclusions. One prominent physician of his day claimed Berkeley was insane.
