The purpose of this series is to provide a contemporary assessment and history of the entire course of philosophical thought. Each book constitutes a detailed, critical introduction to the work of a philosopher of major influence and significance. George Berkeley, an Irishman of English descent, was born on March 12, 1685 near Kilkenny, Ireland. By the age of twenty-eight, then, Berkeley had completed the great works that give him a secure place in the history of philosophy.