How did Berkeley explain the continued existence of objects when no person perceives them?

George Berkeley, a central figure in idealism, argued that physical objects are collections of sensible ideas and that for nonthinking beings, esse est percipi ("to be is to be perceived"). Because he maintained that ideas cannot exist outside of a mind, he addressed the concern of how objects continue to exist when no human is perceiving them.1

Berkeley’s primary explanation was that objects remain in existence because they are continuously perceived by God. While human perception is intermittent, God’s infinite mind ensures the ongoing existence of the physical world by perceiving it at all times. This perspective was consistent with the traditions of many Christian philosophers, who held that God sustains the universe by keeping all things within His thought.1

Berkeley rejected the notion that objects have an "in-and-out" existence, appearing and disappearing with human attention. Instead, he asserted that his philosophy aligned with common sense, affirming that objects like books in a study remain present even when no person is there to observe them, as they remain within the scope of divine perception.21