3. BIOGRAPHY
o 1711-1776
o Attended University of
Edinburgh at age 12
o Worked himself into a nervous
breakdown by the age of 18
o Moved to a little town in France
to philosophize
o Wrote many books, several of
them historical
4. KEY BELI EF #1:
I NDUCTI VE REASONI NG
Humans have a tendency to observe an unchanging pattern and
assume that it will continue in that fashion forever
For example, we notice the sky getting dark every night and the
sun setting, and so we infer that it will do the same tomorrow.
In reality, we have no true way of knowing that the future will
conform to the past and no reason to believe that just because things
have always been one way, they will continue to do so
5. INDUCTIVE REASONING
This kind of reasoning where we infer one thing from another is
called „inductive reasoning‟
It is one of Hume‟s most prominent theories
Related to „causation‟, the concept of always seeing one thing
follow another and concluding that
• A) They are connected (A causes B)
• B) Will always react the same way (A will always cause B)
6. HUME VS. DESCARTES
Hume was an atheist and believed in no high power
whatsoever, whereas Descartes worked hard to prove that God
existed, and if not his God, then an evil but omniscient and
omnipotent demon
Hume believes that there is no innate knowledge, that all
knowledge is derived from experience, whereas Descartes believes the
opposite
Both accept that the „self ‟ is the basis of philosophical reflection
(they disagree on what the „self ‟ is capable of doing)
7.
8. EPISTEMOLOGICAL SCHOOL:
EMPIRICIST
The theory of Empiricism suggests and defines the primary
source from which we retain knowledge to be “sensory
experience”.
David Hume has been characterized as an Empiricist philosopher
as many of his prime theories and ideas revolve around the
concept that experience is the key to understanding what we know
and how we come to know it.
9. KEY IDEA #2
CUSTOM IS OUR GUIDE
One of David Hume‟s key theories is known as „Custom is Our
Guide‟
This concept can be defined and broken down into three ideas:
1. Custom allows us to conceive that the future will conform to the
past.
2. Belief arises directly and only through custom.
3. Custom determines the standards of our future judgments.
10. KEY ARGUMENTS AND EXAMPLES
BREAKDOWN
1. David Hume theorizes that custom allows us to perceive that the future will conform accordingly
to the past through experience and learning to understand the common, and in many cases
certain, outcomes associated with certain actions.
- Billiard Ball Example
2. David Hume suggests that belief formulates solely off the basis of custom because only through
conceiving can we begin believe or determine an impending outcome of a particular action or
circumstance.
- Billiard Ball Belief Example
3. He goes onto suggest that custom determines our future judgments far more than reason does or
can.
- Body to Mind Example
11. DESCARTES READINGS
RESPONSE
1. First Mediation – Overlap
- The idea that the senses are directly connected to forming a reality are seen in both
David Hume‟s reading and Descartes first mediation.
- The concept of conceiving are brought up in both as well.
2. Second Mediation – Disagree
- In his second mediation, Descartes goes about trying to understand the nature of
the human mind by disregarding the knowledge he is given by his memory whereas David
Hume suggests that the key to understanding what we know and how we know it is
relying on the memory and past experiences/sensations to guide us.
3. Third Mediation – Overlap and Agree
- Notes that sensory perception is a valid source of knowledge.
- Identifies the connection between conceiving and believing.
12. CONTRIBUTION TO PHILOSOPHY
A N A LY S I S
David Hume‟s biggest contributions to Philosophy and the
Epistemological school of Empiricism include:
His skepticism concerning the basis of cause and effect – A
groundbreaking new inquiry about a theory that had been wildly
accepted and left unquestioned.
13. A DEEPER LOOK AT THE
BLANK SLATE
Built on Locke‟s idea of the blank slate
Perceptions = emotions, feelings etc.
Divides perceptions into two categories
Impressions and ideas
14. IMPRESSIONS
Sensory data
Taken and accumulated by the mind
The root of all ideas
“admit of no controversy”- Hume
15. IDEAS
Fainter representations of impressions
A reflection of something already seen
Derived from impressions
No innate ideas
16. JUDGING THE TRUTH
A system for understanding the world around
Does it contain matters of fact?
Does the statement relate to other ideas?
If neither, the statement is meaningless
18. PROBABLE STATEMENTS
Only true or false after experience
E.G. the sun rising and setting
You need to see it to know it‟s true
A Posteriori
19. A RESPONSE TO
DESCARTES
The fork was a direct response to Descartes
Disproves the wax example
Descartes: nothing exists without ideas
Hume: nothing exists without impressions
20. DREAMS
Descartes: dreams can feel as real as reality
Hume: Only a fainter representation
Dreams are all based on impressions
No ideas stand on their own
21. SEEING TO BELIEVE
Hume‟s argument is atheist
Contradicts Descartes view of a supreme being
A Priori only works with logical statements
Disproves automaton example
22. A KEY BLOW TO
RATIONALISM
Went much more in depth
Explained grey areas
Cast a shadow of doubt on all that we know
23. A MODERN ILLUSTRATION
Put Hume‟s fork to the test
Try to think of something unique
Can be linked back to empirical fact
Cannot think outside of experience
24. CONTINUED…
Inductive reasoning is harder to put to test
Look for opposites in the world around
If you can conceive it, it could happen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ2qjVkMj6s
