Born in the same year as the great composers Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Frideric Handel, and Domenico Scarlatti, Berkeley was one of the seminal figures in Western philosophy, his doctrines exerting a particularly significant influence on analytic philosophy. As a mathematician, George Berkeley is known for his thought-provoking critique of the mathematical theories of his time, particularly infinitesimal calculus.

Of English descent, Berkeley was born near Kilkenny, Ireland, and always considered himself an Irishman. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he studied mathematical logic, and philosophy. Berkeley graduated in 1704, publishing a short Latin work on mathematics in 1707. In 1710, the year he published his famous work A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, he was ordained priest of the Church of England. After holding several academic appointments, he was named dean of Derry in 1724. Owing to his keen interest in education, Berkeley soon left for London, hoping to receive...