The Works of George Berkeley. Vol. 1 of 4: Philosophical Works, 1705-21Berkeley, George
Philosophy
The Works of George Berkeley. Vol. 1 of 4: Philosophical Works, 1705-21
Berkeley, George
Philosophy -- Early works to 1800
21. _Secondly_, an object placed at a certain distance from the eye, to
which the breadth of the pupil bears a considerable proportion, being made
to approach, is seen more confusedly(308). And the nearer it is brought
the more confused appearance it makes. And this being found constantly to
be so, there arises in the mind an habitual connexion between the several
degrees of confusion and distance; the greater confusion still implying
the lesser distance, and the lesser confusion the greater distance of the
object.
22. This confused appearance of the object doth therefore seem to be the
medium whereby the mind judges of distance, in those cases wherein the
most approved writers of optics will have it judge by the different
divergency with which the rays flowing from the radiating point fall on
the pupil(309). No man, I believe, will pretend to see or feel those
imaginary angles that the rays are supposed to form, according to their
various inclinations on his eye. But he cannot choose seeing whether the
object appear more or less confused. It is therefore a manifest
consequence from what has been demonstrated that, instead of the greater
or lesser divergency of the rays, the mind makes use of the greater or
lesser confusedness of the appearance, thereby to determine the apparent
place of an object.
23. Nor doth it avail to say there is not any necessary connexion between
confused vision and distance great or small. For I ask any man what
necessary connexion he sees between the redness of a blush and shame? And
yet no sooner shall he behold that colour to arise in the face of another
but it brings into his mind the idea of that passion which hath been
observed to accompany it.
24. What seems to have misled the writers of optics in this matter is,
that they imagine men judge of distance as they do of a conclusion in
mathematics; betwixt which and the premises it is indeed absolutely
requisite there be an apparent necessary connexion. But it is far
otherwise in the sudden judgments men make of distance. We are not to
think that brutes and children, or even grown reasonable men, whenever
they perceive an object to approach or depart from them, do it by virtue
of geometry and demonstration.
25. That one idea may suggest another to the mind, it will suffice that
they have been observed to go together, without any demonstration of the
_necessity_ of their coexistence, or without so much as knowing what it is
that makes them so to coexist. Of this there are innumerable instances, of
which no one can be ignorant(310).
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