OD George Berkeley's Siris 1

Demeter Olga

Dr. Pete Krisztián

Elme és Nyelv FILO0411

20200115

George Berkeley's Siris

Body and Mind

Our views in this paper focus on the various philosophical and

health issues implied by Berkeley's recommendations regarding the
Tar Water remedy, as stated in his work, Siris.

erkeley is generally known as the philosopher of

immaterialism and considered also one of the precursors of modern
philosophy of science. Siris was one of Berkeley's late writings
(1744) and its complete title was: Siris, A Chain of Philosophical
Reflections and Inquiries, Concerning the Virtues of Tar-Water.

Some commentators have seen the philosophy of Berkeley as

idealist, due to his concern with immateriality and quasi-
entities; although Berkeley's entities are sensory dependent, that
is to say –all things exist only while they are being perceived
through the five senses. According to other commentators,
Berkeley's philosophical concepts might be tracked back as far
OD George Berkeley's Siris 2

as :
...the Pythagoreans and Platonists ...Now, Berkeley is
clearly sympathetic to the view he is expositing; he says
that these philosophers 'had a notion of the true system of
the world.' Indeed, John Russell Roberts argues, with
considerable plausibility, that 'one of [Siris] central aims
is to show that Berkeley's metaphysics has its roots in an
ancient and venerable tradition that shares his fundamental
metaphysical thesis: it places minds first in the order of
beings.” 1

Therefore, if mind is first, as conceived by some, the question

that naturally arises at this point is whether he thought of the
mind itself as a quasi-entity of material quality, or did he place
mind in a higher and different hierarchy? The decisive point to
keep active here is:

Berkeley makes a surprising and transformative use of a very

old metaphor, the 'book of nature:...the reason why ideas are
formed into machines, that is artificial and regular
conbinations, is the same with that for combining letters
into words”...Berkeley's world is literally 'a most coherent,
entertaining, and instructive Discourse'...and the structure
of this world is its grammar...” 2

Berkeley sees a special meaning in the order that evidently exists

in Nature and conceives the underlying arrangement as similar to
the structure that rules human language, by means of what is
generally known as grammatical convention.
The mind would be the power that originates all systems, be it the
human mind or some super-natural power. As we know, the former
had a trascendent place in Berkeley's thought.

1 Pearce, Kenneth L. Language and the Structure of Berkeley's World. Oxford University Press, 2017, 54
2 Idem, 174
OD George Berkeley's Siris 3

Having shown some of the enlightening aspects of Berkeley's

perspective, we should not wander too far from our main point,
which is Siris and his perspective about health and infirmity as
exposed in his writing about the benefits of Tar water.

The middle years of the eighteenth century in Ireland were

characterized by poverty and health problems, especially so in
Berkeley's diocese. He brought the idea of the benefits of tar
from the United States, where the native Indians have been using
pine tar as a herbalremedy. “Further experiments in tar, combined
with meditation and much curious reading, deepened and expanded
his metaphisical philosophy.”3
Furthermore, Berkeley conceived the book about his recommendations
of Tar water to the empoverished Irish population as a generous
gift with more than one perspective:

The aims of the book, which were three fold. 'to communicate
to the public the salutary virtues of tar-water'... to
provide scientific background supporting the efficacy'of tar-
water as a medicine; and to lead the mind of the reader, by
gradual steps, toward the contemplation of God...” 4

Then Tar water not only had effects upon the bodily ailments, but
could also have far reaching effects on the mind of the person
taking the cure. Implying with the former assumption the
interaction between body and spirit, and thus taking the tar water
treated person toward a more perfect state of being:

The extensive discussion of tar-water presupposed the

interaction of mind and body, so that anything that would
3 “George Berkeley by A. Campbell Fraser -III. Later Years (1734-53)” in: Berkeley, George. Complete Works.
Delphi Classics, Kindle book, 22520
4 Dowining, Lisa, “Berkeley's natural philosophy and philosophy of science” The Cambridge Companion to
Berkeley, 254
OD George Berkeley's Siris 4

benefit the latter would also assist the former: 'the

operations of the mind so far depend on the right tone or
good condition of its instrument, that anything which greatly
contributes to preserve or recover the health of the body is
well worth the attention of the mind'5

Further adding to the concept of the mind and body interaction,

stressed by the commentators above cited, we shoud here cite
Berkeley's own words as found textually in Siris:

...I assure the reader that nothing could, in my present

situation, have induced me to be at pains of writing it, but
a firm belief that it would prove a valuable present to the
public. What entertainment soever the reasoning or notional
part may afford the mind, I will veture to say, the other
part seemeth so surely calculated to do good to the Body that
both must be gainers.6

As we can see, Berkeley clearly distinguished two main

concepts in reasoning about human beings, one would be the
physical body, and other, the mind.. The reasoning responds to the
generalized concept we still have today, basically unchanged about
human beings. Berkeley aims at giving valuable considerations
about the intellect through his philosophical contemplations, and
at the same time, good advice regarding the physical benefits of
Tar water.

Some have regarded the remedy of Tar water as an old-

fashioned, non-scientific type of folk-remedy which had at
Berkeley's time more followers than would be expected by today's
public. As Timo Airaksinen says: “Siris was of course written in

5 Introduction to Berkeley. Philosophical Writings. Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy. Cambridge
University Press, 2008, xxxiv
6 Berkeley, George. Siris, Complete Works. Delphi Classics, Kindle book, 18462
OD George Berkeley's Siris 5

an ascending order, from low to lofty themes.”7

We, in our comments, should of course modestly endeavor to stay at
the low-end of Berkeley's work about Tar water, exploring the
possible physical effects of the remedy recommended in Siris, as
active for many health problems. Otherwise, what could be seen as
a minor, but nevertheless essential detail is the title “Siris”
itself, as it has been specified:

...'siris' is a variation of the Greek word for chain, but as

Berkeley later noted, this word was also used by the Ancient
Egyptians to refer to the Nile. In this sense, he suggested
'the virtue of tar-water, flowing like the Nile from a secret
and occult source, brancheth into innumerable channels,
conveying health and relief wherever it is applied. 8

We should also note that Berkeley connects metaphysical concepts

to scientific facts in an effort to make the recommended medicine
more appealing to the Irish public. He thoughtfully tried Tar
water himself and also on family members as a way of testing what
he was recommending.

Since his return to the life of thought in Rhode Island, he

had been immersed in Platonic and Neoplatonic literature, and
in books of mystical Divinity, encouraged perhaps by the
mystical disposition attributed to his wife. An eccentric
ingenuity connected the scientific experiments and
prescriptions with the Idealism of Plato and Plotinus. The
natural law according to which tar-water was universally
restorative set his mind to work about the immanence of
living Mind.9
7 Airaksinen, Timo. “Active Principles and Trinities in Berkeley's Siris” Presses Universitairies de France. Revue
philosophique de la France et de l'étranger, 2010, Tome 135, 57-70
8 Breunigar, Scott. “A Panacea for the Nation: Berkeley's Tar-water and Irish Domestic Development” Etudes
irlandaises. 34.2/2009. Open Edition Journals. Presses universitaires de Rennes, 3
9 “George Berkeley by A. Campbell Fraser -III. Later Years (1734-53)” in: Berkeley, George. Complete Works.
Delphi Classics, Kindle book, 22520-22530
OD George Berkeley's Siris 6

In his study, Berkeley: “...suggested that tar-water could ease

nearly every physical problem imaginable, although initially he
eschewed using the word 'panacea' and tempered his conclusions by
repeatedly reminding his readers that his observations were based
upon his own personal experiences...” 10

One detail of crucial importance here is that in our

contemporary world a new trend has been developing where natural
herbal type cures for many illnesses are being chosen by an ever
widening public over the so called “state of the art” medical and
pharmaceutical procedures. Therefore there are new-trend
researchers who:

...are looking at traditional cures through the lens of

cutting-edge science and finding some interesting surprises –
surprises that could have profound impacts on modern
medicine. Cultures from the Arctic to the Amazon... have
developed their own medicine chests of traditional cures.11

Moreover, as noted by Bee Dawson in an online article, comparing

highly successful past trends to the more recent ones has observed
that:

After the war, the increase in pharmaceutical production and

the discovery of penicillin again transformed the practice of
medicine. Herbal practitioners had their rights to dispense
medications taken away and the practice of herbalism declined
again. However, by the late 1950's concern about the side
effects of some pharmacological-treatments led to a renewed
interest in herbal remedies again. Herbal medicine
10 Breunigar, Scott. “A Panacea for the Nation: Berkeley's Tar-water and Irish Domestic Development” Etudes
irlandaises. 34.2/2009. Open Edition Journals. Presses universitaires de Rennes, 3
11 “How ancient remedies are changing modern medicine” Peter Gwin, The Future of Medicine, Dec. 14, 2018.
www.nationalgeographic.com
OD George Berkeley's Siris 7

associations were formed around the world, both to promote

the use of herbal treatments and to ensure quality control. 12

In line with this there has been a more pronounced diligence to

change medical scientific attitude also by important institutions:

World Health Organization has initiated global efforts to

urge governments to take steps to upgrade the traditional
medical systems and treatments of their respective countries
through validation of their quality, safety and efficacy. …
There is growing evidence in support of the potential uses of
medicinal plant derivatives and extracts as healthcare
products that reduce the visits to physicians for minor
ailments and as immunostimulants, anti-ageing products...
that contribute to the quality of life...13

Moreover, prompted by the potential problems with unwanted side-

effects of widely used pharmaceutical drugs, such as anti-
depressants and statins, for example:

...people all over the world is shifting back to traditional

medicine. This global resurgence of interest in tradition
herbal remedies has become a compelling reason to evolve a
mission mode approach towards medicinal plants. 14

It has been also noted that medicinal plants, as have been used
for ages in different cultures, should be studied more assiduously
by scientific researchers, since neglecting such valuable
knowledge would result in a great loss to humanity. The success

12 Www.stuff.co.nz
13 “Traditional and Alternative Medicine. Research and Polity Perspectives” Tuley De Silva, Theeshan Bahorum.
Centre for Science & Technology. NAM, Delhi, 2009
14 “Some Frontline Medicinal Plants of Kashmir Himalaya Used in Unani Medicine: Present Status and Role”Tariq
Ahmad Butt. Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine. New Delhi, India, 541
OD George Berkeley's Siris 8

attained with such cures should also be meticulously docummented

so that their possible beneficial health effects remain accessible
to future generations.15

It is worth noting that after all, tar as an extract of pine bark

is still in use today for several health problems. Pine tar is
“...thought to exert its effect by reducing DNA synthesis and
mitotic activity” Helping thus in skin problems, relieving itching
and swelling, and even curing micotic and bacterial infections:
'These properties make pine tar suitable for the topical treatment
of excema, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis and other...'16

One final thought deserves mentioning, specially because the

same reveals an important consideration about the essence of
knowledge, as Berkeley conceived it, in his relentless search of
Truth:

'He that would make a real progress in knowledge must

dedicate his age as well as his youth, the later growth as
well as the first-fruits, at the altar of Truth.' Such was
Berkely, and such were his last words in philosophy. 17

References

15 Idem
16 “How ancient remedies are changing modern medicine” Peter Gwin, The Future of Medicine, Dec. 14, 2018.
www.nationalgeographic.com
17 “George Berkeley by A. Campbell Fraser -III. Later Years (1734-53)” in: Berkeley, George. Complete Works.
Delphi Classics, Kindle book, 22570
OD George Berkeley's Siris 9

Airaksinen, Timo. “Active Principles and Trinities in Berkeley's

Siris” Presses Universitairies de France. Revue philosophique
de la France et de l'étranger, 2010, Tome 135

Berkeley, George. Siris, Complete Works. Delphi Classics, Kindle

book

Breunigar, Scott. “A Panacea for the Nation: Berkeley's Tar-water

and Irish Domestic Development” Etudes irlandaises.
34.2/2009. Open Edition Journals. Presses universitaires de
Rennes,

Dowining, Lisa, “Berkeley's natural philosophy and philosophy of

science” The Cambridge Companion to Berkeley

“George Berkeley by A. Campbell Fraser -III. Later Years (1734-

53)” in: Berkeley, George. Complete Works. Delphi Classics,
Kindle book

“How ancient remedies are changing modern medicine” Peter Gwin,

The Future of Medicine, Dec. 14, 2018.
www.nationalgeographic.com

Introduction to Berkeley. Philosophical Writings. Cambridge

Texts in the History of Philosophy. Cambridge University
Press, 2008, xxxiv

Pearce, Kenneth L. Language and the Structure of Berkeley's World.

Oxford University Press

“Some Frontline Medicinal Plants of Kashmir Himalaya Used in Unani

Medicine: Present Status and Role”Tariq Ahmad Butt. Central
Council for Research in Unani Medicine. New Delhi, India
OD George Berkeley's Siris 10

“Traditional and Alternative Medicine. Research and Polity

Perspectives” Tuley De Silva, Theeshan Bahorum. Centre for
Science & Technology. NAM, Delhi, 2009