Summary

Summary and detailed outline of David Hume and his observations

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Course
Philosophy/FIL (FIL110)

Institution
University Of Pretoria (UP)

Included in this package is a detailed mind map of David Hume. It provides context on the philosopher and his interests, explains clearly each of his claims, and visually helps the student understand how one comes to the epistemic knowledge of David Hume. For those who prefer written notes over...

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Uploaded on July 19, 2021
Number of pages 5
Written in 2021/2022
Type Summary

david hume
philosophy
epistemology
metaphysics
causality
representation theory
hume
mind map
organised
detailed
humes fork
summary

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David Hume, Hume's Fork (1711-
1776 CE)
Context
Born to noble yet relatively poor family in Edinburgh, Scotland

Went to University of Edinburgh at age 10/12 (the norm was 14)

intended to study law but ended up doing philosophy and never graduated

spent the next years reading and writing to the detriment of his health

By 23 he began his Treatise on Human nature which became one of the
most influential works in western philosophy

during his early life his career was not successful namely due to atheist
suspicion and near-accusations of heresy

heresy is being banned by religion based on the philosophers work

Historical writings and Philosophical Essays concerning Human
understanding eventually brought him fame in his own lifetime

passed on at 65 from abdominal cancer

Impressions and Ideas
own representations of knowledge

the mind creates an inner mental representation corresponding to the external
world

the mind does not directly perceive objects, rather it perceives
representations(impressions)of them

However there are difficulties inherent in ascribing any truth to perceptions or
impressions that are representations of what has been percieved

Because if truth is understood as the conformity/adequacy between the
image and the object

it would be impossible to establish truth in the objects of the world

since the only evidence one has of the world consists of internal
images

what can be understood by a representationalist theory?

that everything that exists around you is an impression/perception that
exists only in your mind

the problem is tha one might be one step removed from the real world,
the real world might not be the way it is represented in your mind

, you dont know if the external world exists

What is the unavailability of the external world?

also known as the veil of perception

although we have knowledge of the external world we dont know how
accurate these depictions are

Because objects only exist in our minds as representations it is impossible to
judge how faithfully mental impressions/ideas represent physical objects

therefore the external world is unavailible to us

However if knowledge is possible the source can only be sense experience

Hume was a skeptic

doubted whether knowledge of the external world was possible

criticized theories of perception (doubts even his own theory)

his own thought had strong representationalist leaning

What key understanding should one have on Hume's representationalist
theory?

If knowledge is real; it originates in the world

when we observe an object

the object causes us to have an impression on its properties in our
minds

an impression in our minds causes us to have knowledge of things

Ideas, Impressions and Knowledge
Involves Hume distinguishing between

impressions (experienced- Direct raw sensory information- caused by the
senses)

feeling a toothache

ideas (thoughts- reflections of impressions)

thinking about the pain/seeing an image/remembrance

what does knowledge entail for hume?

the comparison of one idea to another

legitimate ideas only

although the senses are the source of knowledge

one should possess knowledge through a rational process of reflection

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