Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous (1713)

George Berkeley's Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous is one of the most challenging and beloved classics of modern philosophy. The heart of the work is the dispute between materialism and idealism, two fundamentally opposed metaphysical doctrines that are embodied by Hylas and Philonous, the characters in this philosophical drama. The book is packed with brilliant arguments and counter-arguments of an extraordinarily sophisticated nature. Amid all this philosophical swordplay one would think that there could be scant room for the characters to develop any sort of personality. Yet in Berkeley's hands, and with his literary gifts, the interlocutors are both vivid and funny. This is a critical new presentation of Berkeley's 1734 (third edition, first 1713) Three Dialogues. Berkeley's dialogue remains one of the most widely read and frequently taught classic texts of early modern philosophy, exploring an idealistic epistemology, methodology and metaphysics in a popular and easily accessible format. This expansive edition combines a usefully annotated version of Berkeley's complete original text with a substantial critical Introduction, chronology of events in Berkeley's life and career, and supplementary annotated Appendices of original sources from thinkers relevant to Berkeley's work.