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The latter only represent individual things, although, when we make a statement in regard to any (particular) triangle that in no way depends upon its being right-angled, we imagine that we have spoken of a triangle that is neither right-angled nor acute-angled, in other words, of a triangle in general. Just as there are no such triangles, so there is nowhere any such thing as a universal ; and the mistaken idea that there are abstract or universal ideas is, in Berkeleys view, one of the two ob- stacles to true philosophy. If we stand by the rule that what cannot exist without something else, is also inconceivable with- out this other thing, we shall admit that there is no idea to correspond to those words which denote a universal idea, that is, really, to correspond to any words at all. This does not imply any censure upon language, for its purpose is not so much to communicate ideas as to call forth passions, and to move men to action. That process, as well as the process of thought, is assisted by words, even when there is no definite idea associated with them, and they are used like algebraical symbols. prev next |