of questions and doubt everything. Both of these philosophy are great, one philosopher by the name of Immanuel Kant believed that either empiricist or rationalist could exist without the other. David Hume and Rene Descartes were both great philosophers but…
appeals to religious experience. Generally, religious experience refers to mystical experiences or miracles. David Hume presents an argument as to why we are almost never justified in believing that a miracle has occurred. Following will be a…
In section X, Part 1of his influential exploratory book “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding”, David Hume argues mankind doesn’t have any reason nor justification to believe in miracles, while also stating that miracles are not a basis of religion. Miracles and religion seem as if they have always been related, although what each religion considers to be miracles differs, therefore miracles cannot be a basis of religion. Due to the fact that miracles are merely experiences of which humans…
of the nations to participate in trade is imprudent because the balance of trade will bring a good proportion to the wealth and productivity of the countries. These new ideas were directly inspired by the Enlightenment and other philosophers, but Hume presents his own ideas that many of his audience listened and approved of. Since Hume’s essay is a primary source, it is important to deeply analyze it because primary sources are firsthand experiences that are the closest we will get to the…
The problem of induction is a philosophical dilemma that challenges the validity of knowledge gained through inductive inference introduced by Scottish philosopher David Hume. Inductive inference is a form of reasoning that allows a conclusion to be reached by looking at past experiences. To recognize what disturbs Hume, it is important to understand what deductive and inductive reasoning are. When reasoning moves from the general to the particular, it is often referred to as deductive reasoning…
intelligent being. The watch demands a watchmaker. In the same way the universe demands a designer, it simply could not be the product of chance. Thus, there must be a superior being, big enough to create a supreme artefact such as the universe. Finally, David Hume likened the world to ‘one great machine subdivided into an infinite number of lesser machines’. This theory however leads to the philosophy that similar effects require a similar cause. Through the thrust of Hume’s argument, he…
Scottish philosopher David Hume produced a description and analysis of the relation of cause and effect and our use of it in reasoning about matters of fact. Hume’s analysis was able to wake the Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) from his so called dogmatic slumber. From the awakening of Kant comes the questions Why did Hume’s arguments wake Kant from his dogmatic slumber? And what is Kant’s response to Hume’s analysis and how successful is Kant in his response to Hume? In Hume’s…
Hume vs Locke What is personal identity? What is the “self”? There is a great debate that surrounds this subject in philosophy. So, which philosopher has the right idea? Is it David Hume with his theory of impressions? Or is it John Locke with his theory of consciousness? Both men are famous for their views on the matter, and both pose very interesting ideas. On the surface their views seem quite similar, both men believed our experiences shape us. However, Locke believes that our experiences…
David Hume, in his Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, claims a reasonable person should not be able to believe in miracles, especially if informed of a miracle through testimony; his argument concerning why people should be incapable of believing miracles is cogent, but he fails to adequately explain why people do believe in miracles even though they should not be able to. His theory is based on a previously outlined idea which Hume calls “constant conjunction”; people use a constant…
whole rather than to a particular occurrence within it”. His definition differs from that of David Hume (1711-1776): “A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature by a particular volition of the deity” Hume states that they are a direct act from God and Wiles quite clearly rejects this due to his disbelief in the interventionist God. Wiles did not argue on the basis of science and rationality as Hume had argued: ‘the notion of a miracle cannot simply be ruled out on scientific grounds as…