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This paper sets out to examine George Berkeley’s conception of knowledgeof one’s own existence as a ‘‘ spirit ’’, with particular focus on interpretating his formulation of the cogito : ‘‘ I know what I mean by the terms I and myself ’’. This formulation is bound up with intrinsic difficulties in Berkeley’s controverted doctrine of ‘‘ notions ’’. Attention is paid to differences of emphasis between similar passages in Principles of Human Knowledge, Three Dialogues and Alciphron VII. The main current interpretations are discussed, and the common recourse to 20th century conceptions of meaning is criticized as oversimplified.