PHIL 202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: The Foundations
4 May 2018
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History of Modern Philosophy
4.06.18 Lecture Notes – Hume, Enquiry 4
- Two types of objects of human reason
o Relations of ideas
▪ Geometry, algebra, arithmetic
▪ Eery affiratio that is ituitiely or deostratiely ertai
▪ Whose denial is self-contradictory
▪ Includes a priori knowledge
o Matters of fact
▪ The truth of these is strong, but their falsehood is also possible
▪ Founded on the relation of cause and effect
- Knowledge of cause and effect is not a priori, but arises from experience
o Goes beyond memory and senses
o Some people may claim that some knowledge of cause and effect is obtained
through reason
o If someone were to be erased of all experience, would they be able to infer, for
istae, that oe illiard-ball would communicate motion to another upon
ipulse
▪ The mind must arbitrarily iet or iagie soe eet, hih it
asries to the ojet as its effet
▪ It is impossible to find the effect by looking at the cause because the
effect is entirely different from the cause and thus cannot be discovered
from it
▪ All my potential inventions are conceivable – why prefer one over the
other
- Thus the oseratio of hua lidess ad eakess is the result of all philosophy,
and meets us, at every turn, in spite of our endeavors to elude or aoid it. pg
- Part 2: What is the foundation of all conclusions from experience?
o Our conclusions from experience are NOT founded on reasoning or any process
of the understanding
- Induction
o I hae foud that suh a ojet has alays ee atteded ith suh a effet
o I foresee, that other ojets, hih are, i appearae, siilar, ill e atteded
ith siilar effets
o Basically projecting observed regularities onto unobserved events
o Hume says that the link between the two propositions is not intuitive, not a
necessary truth
o Ee if e appeal to las of ature, e’re ipliitly folloig the logi of
induction
o Not a relation of ideas – it’s deial does ot lead to a otraditio
- Two kinds of reasoning – demonstrative reasoning (concerning matter of fact) and
moral reasoning (concerning matter of fact and existence)
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Document Summary
Two types of objects of human reason: relations of ideas, geometry, algebra, arithmetic, e(cid:448)ery affir(cid:373)atio(cid:374) that is (cid:862)i(cid:374)tuiti(cid:448)ely or de(cid:373)o(cid:374)strati(cid:448)ely (cid:272)ertai(cid:374)(cid:863, whose denial is self-contradictory. Includes a priori knowledge: matters of fact, the truth of these is strong, but their falsehood is also possible, founded on the relation of cause and effect. Knowledge of cause and effect is not a priori, but arises from experience: goes beyond memory and senses, some people may claim that some knowledge of cause and effect is obtained through reason. Part 2: what is the foundation of all conclusions from experience: our conclusions from experience are not founded on reasoning or any process of the understanding. Strength/vivacity with which you experience the idea. Copy principle every idea is a copy of some impression: same representation content. Potential counterargument the missing shade of blue: but states that this argu(cid:373)e(cid:374)t does (cid:374)ot threate(cid:374) the (cid:272)opy pri(cid:374)(cid:272)iple (cid:271)e(cid:272)ause it"s so rare and contrived.
