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4 - Beyond the senses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2009

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Summary

The role of cause and effect in Hume's theory of ideas

A philosopher's reliance on examples confronts the interpreter with the problem of determining what, and how much, of the object or situation portrayed is pertinent to his purpose, and what is extraneous, even vital to ignore. The point of an example can be distorted, obliterated, or even turned on its head if the focus is misplaced. A case in point is Hume's favorite example of causation, the collision of two billiard-balls. While a graphic illustration of the impossibility of direct insight, unaided by experience, into causal connections, it is apt to lead one to believe that the proper vantage from which to regard Hume's account of causal relations is the physical world. In my view, nothing could be further from the truth. The most significant and distinctive function of causal relations in Hume's theory of understanding is discharged well before a world of minds and bodies is even possible. Failure to bracket out the physical character of billiard-balls or the mental content of sensations, reflexions, and thoughts is therefore likely to be the occasion of considerable misunderstanding.

Few, if any, interpreters of Hume share this view. They regard him as the philosopher of natural – that is, naïve – human understanding, access to which is simply a matter of letting come to mind what most readily does.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1994

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  • Beyond the senses
  • Wayne Waxman
  • Book: Hume's Theory of Consciousness
  • Online publication: 11 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511554520.008
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  • Beyond the senses
  • Wayne Waxman
  • Book: Hume's Theory of Consciousness
  • Online publication: 11 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511554520.008
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Beyond the senses
  • Wayne Waxman
  • Book: Hume's Theory of Consciousness
  • Online publication: 11 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511554520.008
Available formats
×