Entry 2: Perception [i.]

What is perception? Loosely speaking perception can be defined as our way of recognizing and interpreting information that we have gathered through our senses: sight, hearing, touch and smell. Therefore to perceive the world through these senses it is required that you possess concepts: in other words ways of thinking and representing this world. Perception as a theory of Philosophy may be defined as being concerned with these concepts that assist in how the world is represented and how we think about the world. Berkeley’s famous principle is ‘esse est percipi’ translated ‘to be is to be perceived.’ Clearly according to Berkeley things only exist when they are being perceived. Is considered an idealist who posited that ordinary objects are collections of ideas; which are mind-dependent to exist and to be perceived according to Berkeley means the same thing. Therefore in my summation sitting here alone at my computer I don’t exist since there is no one to perceive me; however the minute someone enters my room and says ‘hello’ my existence is no longer in question…