Philosophy 20/30Tanisha KotowichMr. GambierMarch 3, 2014Quotes concerning philosophyAnalysis, interpretation and application“To be is to be perceived. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? » ~ Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753)As an idealist, Berkeley believed that nothing is real except minds and their ideas. Ideas do not exist independently of the mind, but rather it is the mind that gives validity to concepts. Something only exists if someone has the idea for it. It is the recognition made by humans that takes a simple ambiguous idea and gives it not only meaning but its very existence. Looking at the opposite idea, it is difficult to completely grasp the concept that if an individual is unaware of the existence of an object or idea, its existence is subjective. The reason is that, how can one be aware of the lack of existence of something, if he is unaware of the real object. There is no proof of its existence if the idea never manifests in an individual's mind. Although he never asked the question in the exact terms given in the quote, Berkeley would say that if a tree fell in the forest and there was no one there to hear it, not only would he not do anything noise, but there would be no trees. Due to the lack of presence during the fall, there is nothing to say that the existence of the tree was tangible, much less the fall. This line of thought ties in with Protagoras' quote "man is the measure of all things", which essentially states that because man is considered capable of a higher level of thinking than that of any other animal, he is said that our perception of the world around us justifies everything we see and allows us... middle of paper ... individuals of superior abilities impose themselves on others to ensure that they do not surpass them not. He assures that individuals “the unreal is more powerful than the real, because it is only ideas, concepts, beliefs, intangible fantasies that last. The stone collapses. The wood rots. People, well, they die. » ~ Chuck Palahniuk (1962 - present) The study of philosophy is often formulated as the search for what one does not know. “The end justifies the means. » ~ Niccolo Machiavelli (1469 - 1527) Machiavelli's famous words have impacted individuals on many levels and in many different areas. Everywhere, from business to education, this quote has varying degrees of application and truth. What Machiavelli implies is that it is not the means by which one achieves one's final goal that matters, but rather the fact that one has achieved it. Success is based on achieving