Answer to Question #237287 in Philosophy for Mike

Question

How to understand D. Hume's: The limits of cognition, the critique of the concept of causality?

Answer 1

Causation

David Hume was a British empiricist of the Early Modern period. Hume is known for

applying this standard rigorously to causation and necessity. Rather than taking the concept of

causation for granted, Hume challenges us to consider what experience has taught us about cause

and effect.

Hume demonstrates that experience does not provide us with useful information. When

two events, A and B, always occur together, that is, are constantly conjoined, we say that A

Causes B. We know that whenever we find A, we will also find B, and we can be certain that this

will continue. When we realize that “A must bring about B” merely means “We are

psychologically certain that B will follow A due to their constant conjunction,” we are left with a

very weak notion of necessity. This shaky grasp on causal efficacy contributes to the Problem of

Induction, which states that we are not reasonably justified in making any inductive inferences

about the world. It is a point of contention among Hume scholars.