BERKELEY'S CRITERION OF A MECHANIST VIEW AND HIS ATTACK ON THE MECHANIST VIEW

Abstract

An attempt will be made to present the criterion of a mechanist view that Berkeley adopted, as well as his uniqe attack on the mechanist view. According to the criterion of a mechanist view as implied from berkeley's writings, a mechanist view is one that explains the natural phenomena, assuming material causes only. Berkeley claims that the material world as perceived by us is a collection of sensual ideas. These ideas exist in our mind. Berkeley also claims that the ideas are passive. An idea is merely a sign for another idea, and not the cause of the formation of another idea Berkeley claims that the term "Force", which many physicists think that it represents a cause of phenomena as velocity changes, dose not represent a real quality. Berkeley is defined as an empiricist. But in order to preserve scientific achievements and the ability to connect between phenomena and to predict, he claims that we have to use the term "Force" although it dose not represent a real quality. The term "Force" represents in his opinion a mathematical fiction. This view of Berkeley is called " Scientific Instrumentalism". Science does not deal with material causes according to Berkeley's view. The universal mind (God) is the real cause of natural phenomena, "planting" the regular ideas referred to as '' nature''. Still minds and God should be dealt with in metaphysics. Therefore Berkeley's attack on the mechanist view is the result of his view that only in metaphysics we deal with real spiritual causes. Since Berkeley attacks the mechanist view, he is defined as an anti mechanist. In Berkeley's opinion, there is no difference between the picture of the world which follows from his philosophy, and the common sense picture. Moreover, no scientific achievement suffers as a result of his philosophy