Berkeley George

Berke·ley

 (bärk′lē, bûrk′-), George 1685-1753.

Irish prelate and philosopher whose idealist philosophy, directed against the materialism of Thomas Hobbes, is based on the thought that to be is to perceive or to be perceived. His works include Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge (1710).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.