| Stages
of Hume's Argument |
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Examples and commentary: |
I
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Hume asks: (paragraph 14) "What is the nature of all
our reasonings concerning matter of fact?" |
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The relevent matter of fact is a particular, predictive
synthetic proposition. For example, that this bread which I will
eat will nourish me. (paragraph 16)
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His answer:
“they are founded on the relation of cause and effect.”
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This
matter of fact is an experimental conclusion (it requires a
background generalization):
Example: The “secret powers” of bread
(“A body of such sensible qualities”) will nourish
humans. (paragraph 16)
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| II
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New Question:
"What is the foundation of all our reasonings and
conclusions concerning that relation?" (paragraph 14)
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In other words,
where do get a justified experimental conclusion to support our
prediction that the bread will nourish?
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Answer:
The foundation is PAST EXPERIENCE, i.e., “direct and certain
information of those precise objects only, and that precise
period of time, which fell under its cognizance . . .”
(paragraph 16)
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The foundation is a summary
of similar past experience: “That bread, which I formerly eat,
nourished me . . . at that time . . .” (paragraph 16)
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| III
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New Question:
"What is the foundation of all conclusions from
experience?" (paragraph 14)
Premise: "The connexion
between these propositions is not intuitive." (not a
relation of ideas)
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The
experimental conclusion and the proposition reporting my
experience “are far from being the same . . .” (paragraph
16) |
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Premise: All
"experimental conclusions proceed upon the supposition,
that the future will be conformable to the past" (paragraph
19)
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Assumption required:
nature is uniform with respect to cause and effect, so the
unobserved is “like” the observed.
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"On what process
of argument this inference is founded?" (paragraph
21)
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If based on argument,
it must be known intuitively or as a conclusion from past
experiences.
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Conclusion: "The
inference [that nature is uniform] is not intuitive [not
analytic]; neither is it demonstrative. . . To say experimental,
is begging the question. For all inferences from experience
suppose, as their foundation, that the future will resemble the
past . . ." (paragraph 21) |
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It is not intuitive,
and if it is itself an “experimental conclusion” then it
first requires itself be proven true to guide us to its
truth, for we have just seen that experimental conclusions rely
on this principle.
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GENERAL CONCLUSION:
Inferences to predictive
conclusions require something more than reasoning to guide them. |
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