Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous

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Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous is a book written by George Berkeley in 1713.

The most important concepts in the Three Dialogues are: perceptual relativity, the conceivability ("master") argument, and Berkeley's phenomenalism. The perceptual relativity argument is that the same object can appear to have different characteristics (e.g. shape) depending on the observer's perspective. Since objective features of objects cannot change without an inherent change in the object itself, shape must not be an objective feature.

Hylas is understood to represent John Locke, Berkeley's primary contemporary philosophical adversary. A Hylas is featured in Greek mythology; in the Dialogues, the name Hylas is derived from an ancient Greek word for matter which Hylas argues for in the dialog.

Philonous translates as lover of mind and argues Berkeley's own metaphysical views, which were first developed in A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge.

In The First Dialogue, Hylas expresses his disdain for skepticism, adding that he has heard Philonous to have "maintained the most extravagant opinion... namely, that there is no such thing as material substance in the world." Philonous argues that it is actually Hylas who is the skeptic and that he can prove it. Thus, this great philosophical battle of wit begins.

Philonous questions Hylas systematically regarding what humans know of the world, first examining secondary qualities, such as heat, to show that such qualities do not exist outside the individual mind. He then moves on to primary qualities such as extension and shape, and likewise argues that they, too, are dependent entirely on one's perception. (Ex: From a distance, a great mountain appears to be small, and the shape of a thing may change dramatically under a microscope).