Borges and the Refutation of Idealism: A Study of "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius"

Borges and the Refutation of Idealism: A Study of "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius"

This paper tries to demónstrate that Borges' celebrated story, "Tlón, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius," contains a reductio ad absurdum argument of a form of subjective idealísm usually associated with Berkeley. To show the íncoherences that result from the idealísm of Berkeley, Borges makes use of ideas which...

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Journal Title: Ideas y Valores
Author: John Stewart
Palabras clave:
Filosofía
Language: Spanish
Get full text: http://www.revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/idval/article/view/21819
Resource type: Journal Article
Source: Ideas y Valores; Vol 45, No 101 (Year 1996).
Publisher: Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Usage rights: Reconocimiento - NoComercial - SinObraDerivada (by-nc-nd)
Categories: Social Sciences/Humanities --> Philosophy
Abstract: This paper tries to demónstrate that Borges' celebrated story, "Tlón, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius," contains a reductio ad absurdum argument of a form of subjective idealísm usually associated with Berkeley. To show the íncoherences that result from the idealísm of Berkeley, Borges makes use of ideas which may be fruitfully illuminated by comparison with kantian arguments against subjective idealísm. He puts these arguments ín the form of a cuento which illustrates the absurdities and contradictions of this ídealist position. Specifically, he demónstrales that a radically subjective idealísm is self-contradictory since it renders all objective experience indetermínate and incoherent.

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