A Critique of David Hume’s Empiricism
Chapter One
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
It has already been pointed out that David Hume maintained a radical stand in his position on knowledge acquisition by maintaining that knowledge comes only from sense experience. He did this by drawing out the problems inherent in reason as a source of knowledge.
The purpose of this study is therefore to examine David Hume’s position and also to show that in as much as we agree that human beings acquire knowledge through senses experience, sense experience alone cannot constitute or guarantee knowledge. Just as Jacques Maritain pointed out that every philosophical system contains some truth and tells something about the real, some philosophies however exaggerate their claims and this is where they then run into problems. This is so with David Hume, he ran into this kind of problem and this was because though knowledge can be acquired through sense experience, he exaggerated the position by maintaining that knowledge can only come through sense experience.
It therefore becomes part of the purpose of this study to point out some of these problems as we can in order to show that though sense experience leads to knowledge, however knowledge does not stop there after there are some limitations to the senses in epistemological procedure so that whatever information we receive through the senses are subjected to judgment before it is accepted.
CHAPTER TWO
HUME’S LIFE AND THE INTELLECTUAL INFLUENCES ON HIM
HUME’S LIFE AND WORKS
David Hume was born on April 26, 1711, in Edinburgh, Scotland which is very close to his family’s estate at Ninewalls, Berwickshire. In the early 1720’s, he entered the University of Edinburgh, although he left the University a few years after without any degree. He was urged by his family to read law, but he could not, as law was not appealing to him, so instead of reading law, he showed keener interest in the ancient writers of history, natural science and philosophy. In 1734, he went to France and stayed for three years, it was during this time that his major works in philosophy began.
He served as tutor to the mad marques of Annandale from 1743 – 1746 and as librarian of the advocates library in Edinburgh from 1752 – 1757. He also served in Paris as secretary to Lord Hertford who was Ambassador of Scotland to france, from 1763 – 1765.
Despite however that he served in many capacities during his time, he was never a University professor, unlike other contemporary philosophers of his status. Although, he was twice nominated for such positions, the extreme opposition of the Scotish clergy prevented him from being accepted.
This kind of opposition from religious angle however not a surprise to Hume as he was always confronted with it because of his writings that were considered blasphemous and which at one time, nearly resulted in an excommunication by the General Assembly of the Kirk.
Hume made friends with such notable personalities of his time, which included Adam Smith whom shortly before his death, he entrusted the publication of his manuscript “Dialogues Concerning Natural Religions”, and Jean Jacques Rosseau whose relationship with him ended in a dispute. Nevertheless, Hume spent much of his time during his last years amending and correcting some of his already published works.
His work however include “A Treatise on Human Nature”, which was an attempt by him to introduce the experiential method of reasoning even in moral subjects. The book was made up of three volumes, the first two were published anonymously in London in 1739 and the third published in 1740. Hume though later rejected the “Treatise”, which according to him “fell dead-born from the press1, without reaching such distinction as even to excite a murmur among the zealots”1.
CHAPTER THREE
HUME’S EMPIRICISM
HUME’S THEORY OF EMPIRICISM
David Hume, as a consistent empiricist who fought against what he called “dogmatic rationalism” maintained that the foundations of abstruse philosophy must be undermined for it only serve as a shelter to superstition, and a cover to absurdity, and error, he held thus that:
“The only method of freeing learning is to enquire seriously into the nature of human understanding, and show from an exact analysis of it’s powers and capacity, that it is by no means fitted for remote and abstruse philosophy”.1
Having used this as a launch-pad against dogmatic rationalism, Hume went on to demonstrate the problem of reason as a sole source of knowledge, based on the problem of reason as he formulated it, which include that when guided by reason alone, it may be possible to come up with thoughts that look plausible, but which in the end will lead to irresolution and confusion,Hume demonstrated that knowledge is only experiential, one must therefore come in contact with external objects, which generate sensations in order to acquire knowledge.
When the enquiry into the nature of human understanding is carried out seriously, Hume held that it will be discovered that all the objects of human reason are naturally divided into two: Relations of ideas and matters of facts”.
END NOTES
- David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, edited by Eric Steinberg, (Indianapolis: Hacket Publishing Co. 1977), pg. 54.
- Ibid pg. 16
- Ibid pg. 17.
- John W. Danford, David Hume and the Problem of Reason; Recovering the Human Science,(New Haven and London: 1990) pg. 31-32.
- David Hume, Op. Cit. pg. 18.
- John W. Danford, Op. Cit. pg. 85.
- David Hume, Op. Cit. pg. 21
- Ibid pg. 10.
- Edward Caird M.A. A Critical Account of the Philosophy of Kant, (Glasgow: James Maclehose Co.1877) pg. 65.
