Esse est Percipi - ('To be is to be perceived')

If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

That's the kind of head-scratching question that's popularly believed to occupy the time and brains of philosophers.

It relates to the ideas of immaterialism proposed by Bishop George Berkeley who asserted that the only things that exist are minds and ideas in those minds.

Narrated by Aidan Turner. Scripted by Nigel Warburton.

From the BBC Radio 4 series about life's big questions - A History of Ideas.

This project is from the BBC in partnership with The Open University, the animations were created by Cognitive.

[riceboy]

Damn i didnt know berkeleys name was Dr Ratio

[saturna]

Esse est percipi… Knowledge the measure of truth and falsehood! *L+DrRatio*

[PassePartoutiluvmonies]

There are two types of comments here :
1. People who legitimately wanted to learn
2. ESSE EST PERCIPI L+DR.RATIO

[DuoDingDong]

“Knowledge, the measure of truth…and falsehood”

[ram_bruno]

*_"Knowledge is the measure of all things. It reveals truth.. and falsehood."_*

Ratio, Doctor, 2023

[mon]

Mind blowing, weird yet respectfully understandable. Shoutout Berkeley

[whuforever]

Basically he was onto something then did a full 180 at the end lol

[bem]

My college teacher use to say this in the middle of the class. When I'm asking what's that means he then proceed to throw a big ass chalk to me follow up with "ZERO POINTS!" like, I'm just asking bruh.

[thomasflii]

quickest summary of berkeley i have ever experienced

[peterells]

This is an excellent summary of Berkeley. One thing that should also be mentioned is that Berkeley's system explains the consistency of our experiences (that when we put a book in a drawer, we will still find it there when we come to take it out later; and that people generally agree about their experiences of (say) conversing in a particular room together) by holding that the entire universe always exists as experiences in the mind of God.

[Xenomnipotent]

lil bro wants to be Dr. Ratio soo bad 😭💀

[hella]

KNOWLEDGE! The MEASURE of TRUTH and FALSEHOOD!

[Existentialist]

Contrary to the video, Berkeley didn't think the external world exists because God is perceiving it as such, rather he thought that the external world was a conception in God's mind which he conveyed to finite minds (us).

[OoiJeeHao]

Knowledge is the measurement of all things. IT REVEALS TRUTH AND

[Donteatacowman]

Oh, makes me think of Scott McCloud! I wonder if he's seen this. I bet he'd be stoked about the format too.

"The stone just was the experience" - Love this because it's not trying to describe objective reality, just the way we can't understand a stone outside of experience and thought. I also like the idea of God existing in a way that gives the world meaning and reality solely due to God's role as an onlooker--not because I believe it's true, but I haven't heard it before.

[pape]

Isn't it the case that at the time, Berkeley offered a prize to anyone who could refute this argument and it remains unclaimed to this day? Of course a proof that "matter" exists beyond perception would have to fall within perception, making a refutation impossible. Clever chap, this Berkeley.

[TeddehSpaghetti]

1:39 Actually, the universe is collectively God watching, perceiving and validating itself into existence vis-a-vis our sensory input (both desires, and agonies.)

[anegage]

That's some weird ass philosophy that I still couldn't wrap my head around.

[AdamMiceli]

Not only does the tree not make a sound...but there is no tree, and there is no forest.

[safra]

Without perception then nothing exists?! This is true perhaps if we restrict the meaning of existence in terms of an organism’s perception. Philosophically, existence could be there even in the absence of human perception.