43 pages 1 hour read

George Berkeley

Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1713

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

George Berkeley intended Three Dialogues to be accessible to a wider audience. What techniques does he use to achieve this effect?

2.

At the beginning of Dialogue 1, Philonous uses literary techniques to describe the countryside he and Hylas are walking through in extensive sensory detail. How does this lyrical description of setting inform the ensuing argument about The Nature of Existence and the Role of Perception?

3.

Evaluate Hylas’s transformation throughout the text. Why does his acceptance of immaterialism first lead him into despair, and what new insights allow him in the end to overcome that despair?