Category: Text

Posted on

‘Berkeley in 90 Minutes’ by Paul Strathern, Ivan R. Dee

‘Berkeley in 90 Minutes’ by Paul Strathern is a simple and brief introduction to George Berkeley and his characteristic empiricism philosophy. Strathern write description about Berkeley’s two master pieces of philosophy and epistemology ‘An Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision’ and ‘A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge’ in the former half of this book. And I think Strathern successes explain Berkeley’s peculiar empiricist epistemology concisely. The later half of this book describes Berkeley’s academic and religious career, controversies about sciences, and his later life.
Strathern comments empiricist epistemology of Berkeley like below.
Berkeley ‘pointed out that we may derive our knowledge from our experience, but this consists only of sensations. We have no access to any underlying material substance which might give rise to these sensations. Despite its apparent absurdity, this argument is profound. It led Berkeley to his famous conclusion: else est percipi (to be is to be perceived). This triumphantly overcome materialism, but it left Berkeley with the problem of what happened to the world when no one was looking. As we have seen, Berkeley suggested that God is always looking. He derived this view from Malebranche, who held that change is not caused by objects interacting in cause and effect, but by the continuous action of God upon the world.’

Philosophical descriptions in this book is not many. But I recommend this book to absolute beginners in Berkeley and British empiricism. This book is a just introduction to peculiar philosophy of George Berkeley.

Berkeley in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series)
Paul Strathern
Ivan R. Dee, Chicago, 10 April 2000
87 pages $7.95
ISBN: 978-1-56663-291-1
Contents:
Introduction
Berkeley’s Life and Works
From Berkeley’s Writing
Chronology of Significant Philosophical Dates
Chronology of Berkeley’s Life
Chronology of Berkeley’s Era
Recommended Reading
Index

Posted on

‘Locke in 90 Minutes’ by Paul Strathern, Ivan R. Dee

‘Locke in 90 Minutes’ by Paul Strathern is a simple and brief introduction to John Locke and his empiricism philosophy. The main content ‘Locke’s Life & Works’ describes history of United Kingdom in Locke’s era and Locke’s biography along with his philosophy and thought. It includes Locke’s background and adolescence, political and scientific affairs in the UK and Europe, influences to Locke by Descartes, Gassendi, Galileo, Newton, Spinoza and Leibniz, Locke’s empiricism philosophy, political philosophy and end of life.
The following is Strathern’s comment of empiricist first principle by Locke. ‘“There is nothing in the mind except what was first in the senses.” We begin with a tabula rasa (blank sheet). Human knowledge is derived from outer experience, and reflection (Locke’s word for introspection), which enables us to discover what goes on in our minds. We use reason to draw conclusions from these experiences. In this way we arrive at generalizations, laws, and the truths of methematics.’
His comment of Locke’s political philosophy is below. ‘In the original state of nature, he argues, people were free and equal. But such freedom and equality were largely theoretical. People were simply unable to get along together without infringing on one another’s rights. Locke believed that the law of nature grants us each natural rights. We have a right to life and a right to liberty, as long as this doesn’t infringe on the liberty and natural rights of others.’
The significant point and Strathern’s emphasis in this book are Locke’s empiricist philosophy influenced both ordinary empirical thinking and idea of liberalism and natural right. Empiricism and liberal thinking are linked in Locke’s understanding. Locke’s empiricism principle was free from old customs and religious mystery, and brought about his liberal political philosophy. And philosophy of John Locke is one of the origin of modernity.

This book devote many pages to historical and political description to explain background of Locke’s empiricism, and philosophical description is few. But I recommend this book to absolute beginners in Locke and British empiricism.
This book is mere simple introduction of Locke’s philosophy because his philosophy is simple, brief and essential.

Locke in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series)
Paul Strathern
Ivan R. Dee, Chicago, 16 November 1999
91 pages $7.95
ISBN: 978-1-56663-262-5
Contents:
Introduction
Locke’s Life and Works
Afterword
From Locke’s Writing
Chronology of Significant Philosophical Dates
Chronology of Locke’s Life
Recommended Reading
Index

Posted on

‘Dewey in 90 Minutes’ by Paul Strathern, Ivan R. Dee

‘Dewey in 90 Minutes’ by Paul Strathern is an very short and brief guide book to John Dewey and his pragmatism philosophy and thought. The main content ‘Dewey’s Life & Works’ is a biographical description of Dewey’s life along with his works and pragmatism thought. ‘Life & Works’ describes from Dewey’s childhood, teaching in high school, influenced by Neo-Hegelianism, Charles Sanders Peirce and discoveries of science (by Max Planck, Boltzmann, Madame Curie, Albert Einstein and Richard Feynman), through Dewey’s experimental psychology and instrumental type of logic, what is his pragmatism viewpoint, method of pragmatism and his educational philosophy, to his commitment to communists and U.S.S.R..
In pages 39 and 40, Strathern summarize Dewey’s viewpoint of pragmatism viewpoint, I’ll to quote it. ‘Essential to this view of knowledge was Dewey’s notion of “fallibilism” There was no certain knowledge, there were no eternal fixed principle or rules. Everything had to be tested to discover its fallibility. In this way knowledge progressed, in all fields. Here we come to the core of Dewey’s theory of knowledge which as we have seen reaches out into all realms of human endeavor.’ ‘Dewey himself admits “that my idea of experience and hence of empirical method is naturalistic.” That is, it insists that all our experience is derived from the world of nature and nothing else. His emphasis is on the biological. “For many years I have… maintained that the key to a philosophical theory of experience must proceed from initially linking it with the processes and functions of life as the latter are disclosed in biological science.” He goes on to explain: “The things of experience are produced… by interaction of organism and environing conditions.” He also maintains that “the self, the ‘subject’ of action, is a factor within experience.”’

This book is good and concise introduction to John Dewey and American pragmatism, and more difficult and detailed than other Strathern’s ‘Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series’. I recommend this book for beginners of pragmatism and who want to know doctrine of Dewey and pragmatism, and his thinking of science.

Dewey in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series)
Paul Strathern
Ivan R. Dee, Chicago, September 24 2002
90 pages $7.95
ISBN: 978-1-56663-475-5
Contents:
Dewey’s Life and Works
Afterword
From Dewey’s Writing
Chronology of Significant Philosophical Dates
Chronology of Dewey’s Life and Times
Recommended Reading
Index