George Berkeley
George Berkeley (1685-1753), Irish philosopher, a friend of Jonathan Swift. His philosophy stresses the importance of perception, denying the reality of what cannot be observed, and states that “to exist is to be perceived”. Berkeley also wrote extensively on social questions. He travelled in Europe from 1713 to 1720 and was made dean of Derry in 1721. He became bishop of Cloyne (1734) after three years spent in the US fostering higher education. Having resigned his bishopric in 1752, he died in Oxford a few months later.
