2. Hume states that habit is the great guide to human life because custom allows us to use experience to navigate our world. He makes this assertion because it follows a criticism of our understanding of cause and effect as previous philosophers speculated. Hume makes the point that we do not actually understand cause and effect, only the relation of repetition shared between two things. We don't actually see the change that happens between one event to the next, and understanding the probability between two events does not represent common sense or reasoning as other believed.…
Essay 3 Given what we know or can safely assume to be true of animal brains and behaviors, do animals actually exhibit thought and reason? The answer depends in large measure on one’s definition of thought and reason. Philosophers René Descartes and David Hume hold conflicting views about the nature and possession of thought and reason and, as a result, offer starkly different arguments for and against the existence of thought and reason in animals. While Descartes maintains in Part Five of Discourse on Method that only humans are capable of conscious thought, Hume asserts that human and animal behaviors are not so different in Section Nine of his An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding.…
1. I am convinced by Descartes’ argument that the self is the most certain of objects. Because his logic and reasoning are good and well augmented, and he also gives the example of the wax experiment. The wax experiment shows that our senses don’t know anything and only the intellect knows the physical things. We know more about the mind than anything we know through the senses.…
Hume begins his argument by asserting that animals, just like humans, learn from experience and come to infer causal connections between events. Hume describes this principle by saying: “[animals] become acquainted with the more obvious properties of eternal objects, and gradually, from their birth, treasure up a knowledge of the nature of fire, water, earth, stones, heights, depths, &c. and of the effect, which result from their operation” (Hume, 70). In order to illustrate his point, Hume cites several examples: horses learn what heights they can safely leap, and dogs learn to fear the sight of a whip (Hume, 70). Furthermore, Hume claims that non-human animals certainly do not learn to make these inferences by means of reason or argument.…
In David Hume’s an Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, Hume explains the connection and distinction between impressions and ideas. Impressions are our perceptions of our senses; “hear, or see, or feel, or love, or hate, or desire, or will” (539). Ideas are our perceptions that reflect on those sensations. One big difference between ideas and impressions is that ideas can be things that do not exist, like unicorn or space aliens (539). He states in his Principle of Empiricism that for every idea there is a corresponding impressions and simpler ideas.…
Philosophy has been plagued with the subject of religion since the dawn of time. Each philosopher having their own opinions, many attempts have been made to prove and disprove their opinion and the opinions of others. The existence of God, a single, supreme being who created the heavens and the earth, is a controversial topic, but even among those who believe in the existence of God, finding a way to explain such existence has been nigh impossible. An 18th century philosopher, David Hume attempted to establish his opinion on the existence of God by critiquing the widely accepted ideals set forth by Descartes.…
The argument assumes that the “I” acknowledges himself or herself to have free will. According to Hume’s argument, the “I” is both free to do (A) and casually determined to do (A). P1 and P3 will be granted. They will not be subject to controversy for the rest of the paper, although their irrelevancy will be demonstrated. P2 contradicts observation.…
FINAL ASSIGNMENT CALEB TONY-ENWIN PHIL 1000 100939996 APRIL 2, 2015 Question 1: Explain why Kant did not end up with Hume 's skepticism as far as the notion of causality goes. For this question you are required to explain what Hume 's skeptical solution to the 'problem of causality ' is and then explain in detail how Kant avoids this skeptical solution (in other words, you will have to talk about what role causality plays in Kant’s system and how Kant understands a priori knowledge)? Hume discussed a problem with causation which was that “even though we can observe only constant conjuction of events which are discrete, we still think of causality as a necessary connection” –(Iva Apostolva) and then he…
I say Hume is wrong. In my opinion, a wise person should base their belief on the weight of evidence that is presented. It is foolish to believe that evidence for natural events outweighs the evidence for miracles. For example, the Big Bang Theory, which many scientists believe to be true, is an event that will never repeat itself. It’s a highly rare event, but if we followed Hume’s belief, it would be considered irrational to believe in the Big Bang Theory.…
Defining Miracle and Associated Issues In this essay, I intend to summarize David Hume’s argument from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, that supports his claim that, “[u]pon the whole, then, it appears that no testimony for any kind of miracle has ever amounted to a probability, much less to a proof…” (Hume 67). In addition, I intend to summarize, then, compare and contrast Hume’s argument to the view presented by John Hick in his book Philosophy of Religion.…
To begin Hume mentions there are 3 different type of senses. The first sense is things with size, shape, motion, and mass. The second sense is things with color, taste, smell, temperature, and sound. The third sense is things that cause pain and pleasure. These senses produce the opinion of a continued or of a distinct existence.…
In this paper, I will defend David Hume’s arguments for the design argument, which states that the design argument fails. Hume’s objections to the design argument are first, that we cannot compare human artifacts to the universe because these are too different; second, that we have not witnessed the design of a universe; and third, that we cannot conclude that God is the only one. He criticizes the design argument by pointing out that the analogy is based only on limited experience, making it impossible to obtain knowledge of God. I will examine if Hume’s argument that the design argument fails is correct by evaluating the analogy in the design argument. William Paley, a leading philosopher, presented the design argument for the existence of God in his most important work, “Natural Theology”.…
According to Descartes the natural world is based on the existence of a benevolent God; Descartes’ argument discusses the natural world by using doubt, which then hones into the works of mind and body dualism. In comparison to Descartes view of the natural world, Spinoza’s work is solely based upon one ‘Universal Substance’ which is otherwise known as ‘Nature’ or ‘God’. This substance is also regarded to hold all attributes and essences in the whole world, thus making it infinite. I argue that both philosophers share certain similarities in which their arguments on the natural world corresponds to their accounted beliefs in God having all “perfections”. Although, through viewing both Descartes and Spinoza’s philosophy I feel Locke would debate in responding that both philosophers lack ’experiences’ to prove their works on the natural world and God; especially Spinoza’s debate.…
Although René Descartes and John Locke, were both considered great philosophers of their time; they are also well known for their opposing views on the Self. Descartes and Locke, both explored the nature of knowledge and the nature of self. As mentioned in the book, they both shared a scientific perspective in developing knowledge through clear thinking, analysis, and real world observation and experimentation. Descartes and Locke, both attempted to answer the same questions related to knowledge. However, Descartes and Locke did not have the same answers to these questions related to knowledge because, Locke took a different approach in answering them.…
Two philosophers that have heavily influenced the world of philosophy as we now know it, René Descartes and John Locke, have not always agreed on the same beliefs. In fact, they almost always argued on what each other felt was true except for the unlikely agreement on a few things. This brings me to one particular argument dealing with the issue on innate ideas. Descartes side of the argument believes that we born with ideas (innate ideas) and Locke believes our ideas come from experience and the senses. Ideas have to stem off of something and the only way for us to have that base for an idea is to experience it.…