Inconsistencies in Humes Empirical Thought Essay -- Philosophy Religi

Inconsistencies in Humes Empirical Thought In his Enquiry Concerning Hu mankind Understanding, David Hume attempts to issue the ultimate truth about where our intimacy comes from. This leads him to suggest that all our ideas and knowledge arise from outward experiences and sensations. He attempts to prove this by solving the difficulty of induction. I disagree with Humes ideas, and in this essay I will apologise why. I shall begin by explaining the problem of induction, and the sceptical doubts Hume raises concerning the inductive process. I will then explain how Hume solves the problem. Finally, I will conclude by offering a critique of Humes doctrine, and explain why I bring it to be inconsistent. In establish to understand Humes problem of induction, it is first obligatory to understand the principles upon which it stands. At the outset of his work, Hume declares that all our ideas or more vague perceptions are copies of our impressions or more lively ones.1 He justifies this relation by two arguments. Firstly, he analyzes the roots of our knowledge, and discerns that all knowledge has its origins in a precedent feeling or sentiment2 To Hume, plane the idea of God is derrived from a prior sensation. He argues that we can throw away an idea of God simply by augmenting our ideas of wisdom and goodness. Essentially, we can breed the goodness that we sense or experience up to infinity, in order to have an idea of God. reciprocal ohmly, Hume states that all knowledge must come from sensations. To lucubrate this, he uses the example of a blind man. A blind man will have no idea or impression of the coloring material blue. Since he has never seen blue, let alone colour, there is no likely way for him to know what blue is. Thu... ...tions, Iran no date avail adapted Steinberg, Eric ed. David Hume An Enquiry Concerning benevolent Understanding. Second Edition. Hackett Publishing Company, Indianapolis 1977 De Sousa, Ronnie. http//www.chass.utoronto .ca/sousa/PHL100/hume1.html As of Friday April 9th. De Sousa, Ronnie. http//www.chass.utoronto.ca/sousa/PHL100/hume1.html As of Friday April 9th. 1 Steinberg, Eric ed. David Hume An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. P. 11 2 ib. P. 11 3 Ibid. P. 14 4 Ibid. P. 15 5 Hume must be referring to a perfect 360-degree circle or 180-degree triangle 6 Ibid. P. 15 7 Ibid. P. 16 8 Ibid. P. 16 9 Ibid. P. 17 10 Ibid. P. 19 11 Ibid. P. 21 12 Im assuming here that no one has been able to sustain self-propelled flight. 13 As-Sadr, Muhammad Baqir. Our Philosophy. P. 52