h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Funny; it really hadn't struck me that there is nothing objective in my calling Berkeley Ireland's greatest philosopher. There's conviction.

Just call me Pedantic. (No, please don't, not really!)
Jules

No I don't, honestly! Perfectly valid sleuthing!

This discussion has continued here F103637?thread=551415

Blimey

One tiny pick-up from an earlier comment - quotations *shouldn't* be in italics, unless they're also in blockquotes. Short quotes should only be within single inverted commas.

But you knew that already

A Scout has stepped forward to recommend this fine entry. If you give us the go ahead, it'll be our pleasure to accept it.

My, that was quick! In fact on an attached conversation thread a suggestion has come up that I should expand on the typical misunderstanding Berkeley has suffered, and I'd like to think about this.

I'd also like to research a story that I'd heard, about Vanessa and Swift, but the person who told it to me has forgotten it and given me another few names to ask; so I won't be done before Christmas in all probability.

Not that I'm ungrateful

Happy New Year. I've added a bit on the 'common misunderstanding' theme: a new paragraph called "It's all in your head, Mr Tweedie". I've decided not to pursue the story about the publication of Cadenus and Vanessa. So if it is OK to you, my honoured peers, I'm happy to let this version go forward.

Tweaked a bit more. Take this off my hands, please!

Two points:

You need a few more capital letters in the title: Sceptic, Philosopher and Bishop.

You say that scepticism brought him round full circle to religion. But why is it full circle? You say he was sceptical from the start.

Other than those, this is perfect.

G

Thank you, the rapidly-vanishing G.

Full circle was put in to forestall the sub ed's likely and understandable objection to "a commodious vicus of recirculation", even with a footnote naming Finnegans Wake.

I thought of "full circle" because Berkeley's upbringing would inevitably have started him out with plenty of religion, not only at school but doubtless also in the home. But maybe we can do without that too. Razors everywhere.

Well . . . in cutting out "full circle" I found myself compelled to put in a lot of other stuff, so that paragraph now reads "We are left then with nothing but our perceptions; but the evident fact that our perceptions are well-knit and coherent in daily life amounted, for Berkeley, to nothing short of the divine. In this way his scepticism, followed unflinchingly to its conclusion, brought him back to religion. Nothing essentially inaccessible to mind can be presumed to exist: Berkeley's motto became 'esse est percipi' - to be is to be perceived. We are not however isolated minds; we rely on shared experience in the greatest and least things in life. The ground of our unity, the universal mind within which we commonly perceive, act and communicate, he concluded, is God."

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Well done R!

Hurrah!

Well done

Good one R'man