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Philosophical Haiku

George Berkeley (1685-1753)

by Terence Green

Not one thing exists
The world is merely a thought:
Beneficent God!

Bishop George Berkeley was an Irish philosopher who proposed one of the more audacious, outlandish, or preposterous theories you’re likely to meet. Unlike some bishops, then and now, Berkeley was a sincere believer, and a man of delicate sensibilities. He was repulsed by the idea, then popular due to the influence of Newton and Descartes, that the universe was essentially a big machine put into motion by God. Not only did this separate us from God – once the machine is operating, God just stands by in his overalls like a happy mechanic, only intervening when it breaks down – it was just ugly.

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