The Theory of Vision, or Visual Language…Vindicated and Explained

George Berkeley's The Theory of Vision, or Visual Language…Vindicated and Explained (1733) elaborates on his earlier work concerning vision. Berkeley, an empiricist and idealist philosopher, argued that reality consists of minds and their ideas, and that existence is dependent on perception.1

In his theory of vision, Berkeley posited that the third dimension, depth, cannot be directly perceived by the eyes because the retinal image is two-dimensional. He believed that the visual experience of depth is not innate but learned through other senses, particularly touch. This work further aligned his metaphysical ideas about perception with his broader philosophical system, emphasizing that sensible objects are essentially ideas perceived by the mind.21