Comment Four

From Barbelith

4. Matter is plastic in the face of the Mind.

(iivix) Here we can see the influence that studying philosophy had on Dick. Clearly influenced by Bishop George Berkeley (roughly speaking a contemporary of Descartes et al), Dick has latched onto the idea that the mind is in some way more real, or more primary than matter. Berkeley theorises that matter (ie. the physical substrata of the world) is essentially illusory, whereas the mind is real and constant. All material things for Berkeley must be sustained and made real by the action of a mind, either an individual's mind, or the mind of god. So this ties in nicely with the theme in the exegesis of a "holographic" or illusory universe... Or a world which isn't quite as real as at used to be, until god steps in and makes it real again. While the minds of men could sustain the world of matter, when men's individual attentions are diverted, then the mind of god must sustain the universe. Thus if god's attention was somehow diverted, then the world would be less real, in as much as it would rely on the imperfections of the human mind for it's reality.

Berkeley's god is a sustainer god rather than a creator god, and as such Berkeley's god represents consistency in a changing universe, much as the Logos for Heraclitus represents the only consistency in a world of flux. Dick's god, as well as being part alien satellite and part gnostic ideal, is also part Logos and part Berkeley's god.

Bishop Berkeley is mentioned explicitly in many parts of Valis, although I'm not sure of references at the moment.

See also Comment Twenty Two for more evidence of Heraclitus in the exegesis.