Q0683
“It is evident to any one who takes a survey of the…” — George Berkeley (A Treatise Concerning the Principles of…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, §1. Theme: experience.
English
It is evident to any one who takes a survey of the objects of human knowledge, that they are either ideas actually imprinted on the senses; or else such as are perceived by attending to the passions and operations of the mind; or lastly, ideas formed by help of memory and imagination.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, §1 and files it under British Empiricism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About George Berkeley
George Berkeley (1685–1753) was an Irish immaterialist philosopher and Anglican bishop of Cloyne. A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge and Three Dialogues argue that esse est percipi for sensible things.
Interpretation
This is the opening sentence of the Principles, and it does preliminary work before any argument: it inventories what anyone could count as an object of knowledge — ideas of sense, ideas attending the mind's passions and operations, and ideas of memory and imagination. Berkeley's later conclusion (that being is perceiving, and being perceived) will rest on the observation that every item on this list is mind-dependent. Placing the inventory first is the argumentative strategy: he wins before announcing the thesis.
Why it matters
It models a discipline worth borrowing: before debating what exists, list what your knowledge of anything is actually made of. Metaphysical disputes often survive only because that inventory was skipped.
Concepts in this quote
- Experience
- Experience is the lived encounter with world and self—foundation or limit for knowledge, art, and ethics.
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
- Mind
- Philosophy of mind asks what consciousness, thought, and mental life are—and how they relate to body and world.
How to cite this quotation
APA: George Berkeley. (n.d.). It is evident to any one who takes a survey of the objects of human knowledge, that they are either ideas actually imprinted on the senses; or else such as are perceived by attending to the passions and operations of the mind; or lastly, ideas formed by help of memory and imagination. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0683
MLA: George Berkeley. “It is evident to any one who takes….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0683.
Chicago: George Berkeley. “It is evident to any one who takes….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0683.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “It is evident to any one who takes…”?
The passage is attributed to George Berkeley, A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, §1. The archive attributes this English wording to A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, §1 and files it under British Empiricism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does George Berkeley mean by experience?
Empiricists treat experience as the source of ideas; phenomenologists describe its structure; pragmatists treat it as experimental and revisable. This passage enters that discussion through experience, knowledge, mind.