Berkeley's Theory of Immaterialism-

Berkeley's Theory of Immaterialism- As man progressed through the various stages of evolution, it is assumed that at a certain point he began to ponder the world around him. Of course, these first attempts fell short of being scholarly, probably consisting of a few grunts and snorts at best. As time passed on, though, these ideas persisted and were eventually tackled by the more intellectual, so-called philosophers. Thus, excavation of "the external world" began. As …

…the necessary importance of God. In the materialist view, a belief in God is not logically necessary to uphold the "material substratum2." Berkeley shows that God must exist, for He is at the heart of Berkeley's position. In short, the materialist view allows for atheism as a possible option. --- End Notes 1. George Berkeley. "Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous." Reason and Responsibility. Ed. Joel Feinberg p. 175. 2. Berkeley, p. 165. 3. Berkeley, p. 165. 4. Berkeley, p. 191. 5. Berkeley, p. 179.