Day 15: Early Modern Philosophy and
Hume
Rationalists and Empiricists
Kinds of Human Inquiry
Cause and Effect
Skeptical Doubts Regarding Matters of Fact
More Skeptical Doubts and a Response
Please read
Enquiry, sections V, VI, VII;
and
Treatise, Bk II, Part III,
sections I & II
Rationalists and Empiricists
Who were the rationalists? Roughly, people characterized by the
following:
Significant role for a priori knowledge
Emphasis on necessary truths
Significant role for innate knowledge
Empiricists were inclined to either downplay or deny the above
Rationalists and Empiricists
Some philosophers generally regarded as rationalists: Descartes (1596-
1650), Spinoza (1632-1677), and Leibniz (1646-1716)
Some philosophers generally regarded as empiricists: Locke (1632-1704),
Berkeley (1685-1753), and Hume (1711-1776)
Kinds of Human Inquiry
What are the two types of human inquiry Hume identifies?
What characterizes these different types of inquiry?
Cause and Effect
What are reasonings concerning matters of fact based on?
Does Hume think that cause and effect reasoning can be understood a
priori?
Some quotes
The difference between induction and cause and effect
Skeptical Doubts Regarding Matters of
Fact
1: All reasoning regarding induction and cause and effect makes use of
F the future will resemble the past.
2: To prove F, one must reason to a matter of fact;
3: Any reasoning to a matter of fact invokes F; therefore,
4: Any proof of F is circular and unconvincing.
5: Any justification or proof of induction and cause and effect requires
a justification or proof of F; therefore,
6: No proof or justification of induction or cause and effect can be
given that is non-circular and convincing.
More Skeptical Doubts & a Response
The argument from our inability to spot necessary connections.
What is Humes account of induction and cause and effect?