David Hume

Paper Summary:

The paper states that Hume is known for his philosophical skepticism about how we acquire knowledge, his rejection of the casual theories and the validity of certain religious beliefs. The paper describes Hume's belief that a person's experiences exist only in the person's mind. The paper compares Hume's philosophy with the philosophy of Descartes.

From the Paper:

"Hume began his analysis of human knowledge with a distinction among our mental contents. He held that ''impression' is the direct, vivid and immediate products of experience, while 'Ideas' are merely feeble copies of this original impression. Thus, for example, the color of the monitor at which I am now looking is an impression, while my memory of the color of my fathers hair is merely an idea. Thus every idea is derived from an antecedent impression. Thus he went on to inquire the origins of our idea by asking from which impressions they are derived."

More papers on David Hume:

• Essay # 71713 : "David Hume's "Inquiry IV"
• Term Paper # 122543 : "David Hume and Evil"
• Analytical Essay # 139600 : "David Hume and Modern Atheism"
• Research Paper # 74098 : "David Hume"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: