Hume

Question 1

How is Hume’s academic scepticism different to previous scepticism

Answer 1

adopts academic scepticism as opposed to ‘Pyrrhonian’ scepticism, which is a sceptical approach in a moderate sense because of the problem of induction

Question 2

What is the problem of induction

Answer 2

• Where there can be no non-circular rational justification of inductive reasoning
• however, it is preferable to deductive reasoning as inductive knowledge does not rule out the possibility of a change in the laws of nature
• if we rejected all of our inductive knowledge/reasoning, then anything we have not directly experienced would have to be rejected
  => a sceptical solution in a moderate sense would work

Question 3

Explain Hume’s approach to representationalism

Answer 3

• the mind can only perceive mental images/representations of material objects outside of the mind
• our access to the external world is mediated by the senses
• we only ever have direct access to our sense impression => we have indirect access to the world

Question 4

Explain Hume’s Scepticism

Answer 4

• our acceptance that cause and effect is not grounded in reason but psychology
• it is our natural and inescapable instinct to believe that the world will continue to work in the future as it has done in the past => it is necessary
• doing philosophical psychology rather than presenting an epistemology
  => our belief in the external world is not rationally justified but is an instinct and a custom of the mind

Question 5

Berkley’s arguments against Hume

Answer 5

1. Physical objects can’t cause ideas
   CP: the external world is mediated through the senses
2. Berkely suggests that we can now use reflection to show the causes of our minds
   CP: Hume says that we have no more of an impression of the workings of our mind than we do of material objects => introspection cannot reveal anything that is independent of its ideas

Question 6

What does Owen’s highlight in Hume’s argument

Answer 6

• “Hume concludes that reason subverts itself”
• reason undermines its own power/authority
• using reason means we can reach a conclusion that is not clouded by doubt, which would lead to infinite regress

Question 7

Kant and logical empiricists argument against Hume

Answer 7

• believe that Hume’s philosophy has “established or involved the… distinction between analytic and synthetic judgements or statements”
• CP: Butts claims that Hume provided “psychological answers to the problem of causal inference” rather than logical analysis