HQ25

Class Responses and Instructor Comments

>From MILDRED FERENTINO:

"Had not the presence of an object instantly excited the idea of those objects, commonly conjoined with it, all our knowledge must have been limited to the narrow sphere of our memory and senses; and we should never have been able to adjust means to ends, or employ our natural powers, either to the producing of good, or avoiding of evil."

>rm says: This quote implies that we do think we have insight into the constant conjunctions, if not the causal connections. But it doesn't apply here, to the question of how the order in our minds, we think, parallels the order in nature.

>From NR:

The harmony that Hume speaks of is the succession of our ideas. This harmony arises from similair causes and our transition of thought.

>rm says: How would we know that the causes are similar, if we have no knowledge of causes, as Hume thinks? It would probably be good to use specific examples, here.

Hume Reading Guide 25. "Here, then, is a kind of pre-established harmony between the course of nature and the succession of our ideas..." (36) Explain how this harmony arises.		Back to Hume Reading Guide Back to Philosophy 101 Home Next Question
Enter your response to the above question, or to a previous response, in the form below, or use this email link. I will post your response on the right, and comment if I think I can be helpful. When emailing, instead of using the form, please indicate the question number. When using the form below, if you neglect to enter your name or email, I won't know who you are.	Class Responses and Instructor Comments >From MILDRED FERENTINO: "Had not the presence of an object instantly excited the idea of those objects, commonly conjoined with it, all our knowledge must have been limited to the narrow sphere of our memory and senses; and we should never have been able to adjust means to ends, or employ our natural powers, either to the producing of good, or avoiding of evil." >rm says: This quote implies that we do think we have insight into the constant conjunctions, if not the causal connections. But it doesn't apply here, to the question of how the order in our minds, we think, parallels the order in nature. >From NR: The harmony that Hume speaks of is the succession of our ideas. This harmony arises from similair causes and our transition of thought. >rm says: How would we know that the causes are similar, if we have no knowledge of causes, as Hume thinks? It would probably be good to use specific examples, here.
Write your comments here: Your Name: Your email: