Hume’s Critique: Causality, Knowledge, and Human Nature
Hume’s Critique of Causality
Hume critiqued the principle of causality, arguing that new knowledge often arises from reasoning. He distinguished between the validity of arguments based on the relation of ideas and those based on knowledge of facts.
Reasoning Based on Ideas
Reasoning based on the relationship between ideas guarantees apodictic and conclusive evidence in the conclusion due to the necessity of the premises.
Reasoning Based on Factual Knowledge
In arguments based on factual knowledge, the only sources of evidence are sensitivity and memory. Predictions about future events are often made based on past or present experiences. Hume argued that the relationship between cause and effect is the primary evidence beyond senses and memory.
The Connection Between Cause and Effect
Hume questioned the necessary connection between cause and effect, leading to the following conclusions:
- The idea of cause and effect is not derived from reason alone; we discover the effect through experience.
- It is knowledge of facts.
Hume identified three ideas responsible for creating the link between cause and effect: spatial contiguity, temporal succession, and necessary connection. While contiguity and temporal sequence are unproblematic, the idea of necessary connection poses a challenge. There is no sense impression of a necessary connection between two phenomena, thus questioning its validity.
The Problem of Necessary Connection
The perceived necessary connection between fire and heat leads to the expectation that water placed by a fire will warm up. Discrediting the idea of necessary connection challenges the ability to predict the future. Hume proposed a third principle of human nature to explain this:
- Observing a continuous connection between two events generates a custom.
- Custom forms the basis for the belief that the future will resemble the past.
- This belief provides the conviction that observed phenomena will continue to occur in the same way.
The Foundation of Causality
The principle of causality has a foundation, but not the one previously assumed. The relationship between cause and effect was believed to rest on a real connection between things. However, Hume suggests that its support is an irrational feeling based on the regularity of nature.
The Epistemological Value of Causality
The result is a loss of epistemological value for the principle of causality. Hume argues that it holds only subjective value, but believes that scientific disciplines relying on this principle are not necessarily in danger. However, a crisis may arise if:
- The application of the principle of causality is restricted to sensible experience.
- The epistemological status of statements obtained through the principle of causality is considered lower.