Berkeley, George
"Three Dialogues Between Hylas And Philonous"
. And those, I suppose, are to be thought real which
are discovered by the most near and exact survey.
. Right.
. Is the nearest and exactest survey made by the help
of a microscope, or by the naked eye?
. By a microscope, doubtless.
. But a microscope often discovers colours in an
object different from those perceived by the unassisted sight.
And, in case we had microscopes magnifying to any assigned
degree, it is certain that no object whatsoever, viewed through
them, would appear in the same colour which it exhibits to the
naked eye.
. And what will you conclude from all this? You cannot
argue that there are really and naturally no colours on objects:
because by artificial managements they may be altered, or made to
vanish.
. I think it may evidently be concluded from your own
concessions, that all the colours we see with our naked eyes are
only apparent as those on the clouds, since they vanish upon a
more close and accurate inspection which is afforded us by a
microscope.
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