PHIL 202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Philosophical Language, Empiricism, Counterexample
4 May 2018
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History of Modern Philosophy
4.04.18 Lecture Notes – Hume, Section 2-3
Section 2: Of the Origin of Ideas
- Original perceptions and memories of the perceptions afterwards are different
- The ost liel though is still ifeio to the dullest sesatio. (Section 2.2)
- Perceptions of the mind fall into two categories:
o Thoughts and ideas – less forcible and lively
▪ Thinking about the state of being in love or being in a fit of anger
▪ It may seem like we can conceive of almost anything except that which
implies an absolute contradiction, but our creativity is limited by our
impressions
▪ O, to epess self i philosophial laguage, all ou ideas o oe
feele peeptios ae opies of ou ipessios o oe liel oes.
(Section 2.5)
o Impressions – all our more lively perceptions
▪ Actually being in love or actually being angry
- Two arguments to prove the limits of our ideas
o All our thoughts can be reduced to simpler ideas that were copied from an
impression
▪ Brings up the combination of many ideas when we conceive of God
o If it happe, fo a defet of the oga, that a a is ot suseptile of a
species of sensation, we always find, that he is as little susceptible of the
oespodet ideas. “etio .
▪ A blind man cannot conceive of colors
▪ Thoughts and ideas are LIMITED by the extent of our impressions
- Gives an example of an exception of when ideas may arise independent of impressions
o Gradation of colors
Section 3: Of the Association of Ideas
- Different ideas are all connected together
- Three principles of connection: resemblance, contiguity in time or place, and cause or
effect
Background Information:
- Hume is an empiricist and is a contemporary of Du Chatelet
- Kant comes after everyone else and is able to look back and piece everything together
- Hume is the culmination of British empiricism
- Interested in a whole new host of issues that is original to Hume
- Distinction between rationalists and empiricists
o Du Chatelet seems to push this dichotomy
o Rationalists – knowledge comes from logic and demonstration
▪ Rely on metaphysical principles
o Empiricist – reliance on experience and observation
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Document Summary
Original perceptions and memories of the perceptions afterwards are different. Impressions all our more lively perceptions: actually being in love or actually being angry. Gives an example of an exception of when ideas may arise independent of impressions: gradation of colors. Hume is an empiricist and is a contemporary of du chatelet. Kant comes after everyone else and is able to look back and piece everything together. Hume is the culmination of british empiricism. 1723: at the age of 12, he enrolls in the university of edinburgh. During his mid-20s, he adventures through france. During this time, he writes the treatise on human nature. 1739: book 1 and 2 on his treatise are published. (cid:1005)(cid:1011)4(cid:1012): e(cid:374)(cid:395)ui(cid:396)(cid:455) o(cid:374) hu(cid:373)a(cid:374) u(cid:374)de(cid:396)sta(cid:374)di(cid:374)g (cid:894)(cid:449)hat (cid:449)e"(cid:396)e (cid:396)eadi(cid:374)g toda(cid:455)(cid:895) is actually a branched off and re-worked version of book 1 of the treatise: book 2: dissertation on the passions, book 3: enquiry on morals.
