Conclusion

Summary

The Introduction to the Principles shows Berkeley grappling with fundamental problems of the functions of words. This early interest in language did not fade: in the Seventh Dialogue of Alciphron, written twenty years later, he addresses the same problems in much the same way. There is, however, a striking change of emphasis in this later discussion. In the Introduction to the Principles a Lockian view of language had predominated. There Berkeley presented his book as one in which ‘ideas’ were to have priority over language. He ended the Introduction by establishing a pact between writer and reader, promising to make as little use of words as he possibly could and exhorting us to ‘endeavour to attain the same train of thoughts in reading, that I had in writing’ (II.40). In the Seventh Dialogue of Alciphron these sentiments reappear, but now they are put in the mouth of the minute philosopher. Alciphron argues that there is neither knowledge nor valid communication without distinct ‘ideas’: ‘He who annexeth a clear idea to every word he makes use of speaks sense; but where such ideas are wanting, the speaker utters nonsense’ (III.287). Alciphron tells Euphranor, as Berkeley once told us, that in ideal discourse language permits the reader or listener to have ‘the same train of ideas in his which was in the mind of the speaker or writer’ (III.288).