Zach Wilson--Alternative Topic 4

Another topic discussed early in the class was that of ontology, or the study of being. One of the core questions in the field of ontology is whether or not there are differing levels of existence or being.  This question allows ideas to be sorted into a certain hierarchy.  This led philosophers such as Berkeley to sort the qualities of objects.  In a famous experiment, Berkeley demonstrated the difference between what he termed 'primary' and 'secondary' qualities of objects.  To the observer, sensations of temperature are seen to be relative, and therefore a secondary quality.  To demonstrate this, Berkeley described a theoretical scenario in which three  bowls of water were set before an observer.  One bowl carried hot water, another cold, the third, warm.  The observer would simultaneously place his hand in the hot and cold bowls, then after time had passed, the observer would move his hands to the warm water, and the water would simultaneously feel warm and cold.  Berkeley had meant to disprove the existence of warmth and cold.  However these are concepts which exist in the relative sense.  This is certainly a thought-provoking experiment, as it shows that 'warm' or 'cold' does not exist within water, but rather within the mind and the nervous system.