BQ62

Class Responses and Instructor Comments

>From W Y Ng:

Isn't materialism and skepticism link together? If you put materialism and idealism together, it will produce skepticism?

>rm says: Berkeley claims that materialism leads to skepticism. I'm asking for an account of his claim. As for your second sentence, I think if you put materialism and idealism together you get a contradiction!

>From ky chen:

materialist believes that the world is full of all physical objects, then how do you explain anything that is not physical and just belief? things like math and laws in science where they are something you can't see but you know is there, how do you explain them since everthing has got to be material, science and math are not physical.

>rm says: This is an interesting question, about mathematics, for the materialist, but (s)he can just claim to be a nominalist about such things, and still not suffer from the skepticism which Berkeley alleges. I'm not sure why you think science isn't physical.

>From Nakisha:

Materialism is based on sensory perception, things that you see, feel, touch, smell and taste in the physical world. According to Berkeley there is no physical reality only a mental one, this is how materialiam leads to skepticism.

>rm says: Remember, both the materialist and the idealist can be empiricists, basing their judgments on sense perception. The difference is in what they deem to be the source of their perceptions. In any case, I don't see the skepticism here.

Berkeley Reading Guide 62. How does materialism lead to skepticism?		Back to Berkeley Reading Guide Back to Philosophy 101 Home Next Question
Enter your response to the above question, or to a previous response, in the form below, or use this email link. I will post your response on the right, and comment if I think I can be helpful. When emailing, instead of using the form, please indicate the question number. When using the form below, if you neglect to enter your name or email, I won't know who you are.	Class Responses and Instructor Comments >From W Y Ng: Isn't materialism and skepticism link together? If you put materialism and idealism together, it will produce skepticism? >rm says: Berkeley claims that materialism leads to skepticism. I'm asking for an account of his claim. As for your second sentence, I think if you put materialism and idealism together you get a contradiction! >From ky chen: materialist believes that the world is full of all physical objects, then how do you explain anything that is not physical and just belief? things like math and laws in science where they are something you can't see but you know is there, how do you explain them since everthing has got to be material, science and math are not physical. >rm says: This is an interesting question, about mathematics, for the materialist, but (s)he can just claim to be a nominalist about such things, and still not suffer from the skepticism which Berkeley alleges. I'm not sure why you think science isn't physical. >From Nakisha: Materialism is based on sensory perception, things that you see, feel, touch, smell and taste in the physical world. According to Berkeley there is no physical reality only a mental one, this is how materialiam leads to skepticism. >rm says: Remember, both the materialist and the idealist can be empiricists, basing their judgments on sense perception. The difference is in what they deem to be the source of their perceptions. In any case, I don't see the skepticism here.
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