Scientia potentia est is perhaps better translated as "knowledge is His power", because the context of the sentence refers to the qualities of God and is imbedded in a discussion of heresies that deny the power of God: "statuuntque latiores terminos scientiae Dei quam potestatis, vel potius ejus partis potestatis Dei (nam et ipsa scientia potestas est) qua scit, quam ejus qua movet et agit: ut praesciat quaedam otiose, quae non praedestinet et praeordinet". The English translation of this section includes the following: Interpretation of the notion of power meant by Bacon must therefore take into account his distinction between the power of
George Berkeley he wrote, using a combination of Latin and English, "esse is percipi" (to be is to be perceived), most often if slightly inaccurately attributed to Berkeley as the pure Latin phrase "esse est percipi." The phrase appears associated with him in authoritative philosophical sources, e.g., "Berkeley holds that there are no such mind-independent things, that, in the famous phrase, esse est percipi (aut percipere) – to be is to be perceived (or to perceive)." Hence, human knowledge is reduced to two elements: that of spirits and of ideas ("Principles" #86). In contrast to ideas, a spirit cannot be perceived. A