Berkeley revisited : moral, social and political philosophy / edited by Sébastien Charles.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Charles, Sébastien, editor.

Series:

Oxford University studies in the Enlightenment ; 0435-2866 2015:09.

Oxford University studies in the Enlightenment

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Berkeley, George, 1685-1753.

Berkeley, George.

Philosophy.

Ethics.

Social sciences--Philosophy.

Social sciences.

Political science--Philosophy.

Political science.

Utilitarianism.

Pragmatism.

Immaterialism (Philosophy).

Physical Description:

xi, 305 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Oxford, UK : Voltaire Foundation, [2015]

Language Note:

Contributions in English and French.

Summary:

Through close examinations of Berkeley's writings on key political, economic, social, moral and ethical debates, leading experts demonstrate that his writings are not simply theoretical but also bound to a practical concern with the well-being of humanity. The volume opens with nuanced analyses of Berkeley's utilitarianism, which contributors position more precisely as a theological utilitarianism, a facet of natural law and a theory with a distinctly pragmatic basis. This doctrine is reconsidered in the context of Berkeley's moral philosophy, with contributors highlighting the implications of free will for the evaluation of personal (or divine) responsibility for one's actions. Berkeley's concept of desire is reconfigured as a virtue, when channelled towards the common good of society. Contributors close by reassessing Berkeley's political and economic thought and uncover its practical dimension, where individualism is sacrificed for the greater, national interest. The George Berkeley to emerge from this book is a philosopher deeply concerned with the political, economic and social problems of his time, and whose writings proposed practical and not simply theoretical solutions to the challenges facing Britain in the eighteenth century.

Contents:

Berkeley as a worldly philosopher / Heta Aleksandra Gylling

Berkeley on the natural laws of society / Artem Besedin

Ethics in Alciphron / Daniel E. Flage

Berkeley, Hobbes and the constitution of the self / Stephen H. Daniel

Berkeley's pragmatic bent : its implications for his social philosophy / Richard J. Van Iten

Actions, behaviours and volitions in Berkeley's moral philosophy / Melissa Frankel

Vulgar thoughts : Berkeley on responsibility and freedom / Timo Airaksinen

Berkeley on doing good and meaning well / Hugh Hunter

Berkeley's double understanding of "social appetite" / Marta Szymańska-Lewoszewska

Improving the health of the nation : Berkeley, virtue and Ireland / Scott Breuninger

De Pascal à Locke : la reprise berkeleyenne des enjeux philosophiques concernant la tolérance religieuse et civile / Sébastian Charles

Berkeley on economic bubbles / Marc A. Hight

George Berkeley's understanding of beauty and his polemic with Shaftesbury / Adam Grzelinski

La bonne société d'après Berkeley : entre éducation religieuse et coutume raisonnable / Jérémy Girard

Berkeley's Bermuda project and The ladies library / Nancy Kendrick

Le travail de la sagesse : philosophie et exercice spirituel chez George Berkeley / Pascal Taranto.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-293) and index.

ISBN:

9780729411677

0729411672

OCLC:

921161089