Great Philosophers
Historical and modern philosophers, from Aristotle to Quine
Historical philosophers featured here...
This section contains original texts by, and modern commentary on, great historical philosophers from Plato to Bishop Berkeley.
The Philebus
A dialogue concerning the relative value of pleasure and knowledge.
The Gorgias
Socrates debates Gorgias, who does not regard truth as the purpose of debate, and accepts the unbridled pursuit of self-interest.
The Crito
A dialogue set during Socrates' imprisonment prior to execution
The Meno
A dialogue on our ability to learn virtue and other things
Berkeley’s central arguments for immaterialism
How did Berkeley argue for his striking philosophical position?
Did Berkeley misunderstand Locke’s view of secondary qualities in a way which mattered to his project?
Berkeley's work was in part a reaction to John Locke's Essay concerning Human Understanding. Recent critics have charged that Berkeley misunderstood Locke's positions. Are they correct?
Is Berkeley best understood as a phenomenalist?
Berkeley denied that objects like trees were material substances. Was he an early advocate of the phenomenalist account of what their existence involved?
Jerry Cohen's impressions of famous philosophers
External link:
Jerry Cohen's hilarious impressions of philosophers past, from Isaiah Berlin to W.V. Quine
