Berkeley revisited
Subtitle: moral, social and political philosophy
By: edited by Sébastien Charles
Series: Oxford University studies in the Enlightenment -- 2015:09; Oxford University studies in the Enlightenment -- 2015:09.
Publisher: Voltaire Foundation
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Oxford
Language: eng; fre
Number of pages: 305
ISBN-13: 9780729411677
Subjects: Utilitarianism; Immaterialism (Philosophy); Philosophy; Ethics
Description: Through close examinations of Berkeley's writings on key political, economic, social, moral and ethical debates, leading experts demonstrate that his writings are not simply theoretical but also bound to a practical concern with the well-being of humanity. The volume opens with nuanced analyses of Berkeley's utilitarianism, which contributors position more precisely as a theological utilitarianism, a facet of natural law and a theory with a distinctly pragmatic basis. This doctrine is reconsidered in the context of Berkeley's moral philosophy, with contributors highlighting the implications of free will for the evaluation of personal (or divine) responsibility for one's actions. Berkeley's concept of desire is reconfigured as a virtue, when channelled towards the common good of society. Contributors close by reassessing Berkeley's political and economic thought and uncover its practical dimension, where individualism is sacrificed for the greater, national interest. The George Berkeley to emerge from this book is a philosopher deeply concerned with the political, economic and social problems of his time, and whose writings proposed practical and not simply theoretical solutions to the challenges facing Britain in the eighteenth century.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (psges 283-293) and index.

Contributions in English and French.