Esse est percipi

I once wrote the following mock-horoscope:

Philosopher Bishop Berkeley once claimed that all material objects—indeed, all of space and time—are merely illusions—to which the famous critic Samuel Johnson remarked, “I refute it thus!” and promptly smashed Berkeley’s head against a nearby rock. We think there’s a moral in that for all of us.

Which I bring up only because my Forgotten English desk calendar informs me that today is George Berkeley‘s birthday.

You know, if not for that, and the fact that today was Friday, I don’t know that I’d have anything to say about it at all.