Conclusion

Abstract

During the course of the research for this book, I was often asked by friends just what I was working on. When I told them that I was studying the moral philosophy of George Berkeley, the standard reaction was an expression of surprise that Berkeley had a moral philosophy at all. Throughout the previous chapters I have tried to show that he indeed did have such a philosophy, and often I have mentioned the sort of evidence I believe would be sufficient to prove this claim. That sort of evidence is simple: if Berkeley discussed the range of problems thought to constitute moral philosophy, and if his conclusions together form a series of possible answers to the questions raised by these problems, then it would seem that he had a moral philosophy. In this brief concluding chapter, I should like to outline what problems are thought to constitute moral philosophy, and to summarize Berkeley’s answers to the questions raised.