Berkeley’s Philosophy of Science

Philonous: You see, Hylas, the water of yonder fountain, how it is forced upwards, in a round column, to a certain height, at which it breaks and falls back into the basin from whence it rose, its ascent as well as descent proceeding from the same uniform law or principle of gravitation. Just so, the same principles which at first view, lead to skepticism, pursued to a certain point, bring men back to common 1 sense. Although major works on Berkeley have considered his Philosophy of 1 George Berkeley, Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, ed. Colin Murray Turbayne, (third and final edition; London 1734); (New York: The Bobbs Merrill Company, Inc., Library of Liberal Arts, 1965), p. 211. Berkeley, in general, conveniently numbered sections in his works, and in the text of the essay, we will refer if possible to the title and section number. References to the Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous will be also made in the text and refer to the dialogue number and page in the Turbayne edition cited above.