Epistemology

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Recommended: David Hume's thoughts on knowledge

“I have found that such an object has always been attended with such an effect, and I foresee, that other objects, which are, in appearance, similar, will be attended with similar effects” (The Search for Knowledge 74). This foretells that with knowledge, our society may be able to associate a certain aspect/detail with an object, but that does not necessarily mean it will always happen. Therefore, Hume, who starts out as an empiricist, has arrived at the conclusion where an individual may not have knowledge at all, of skeptic doubt. This is explored through the three epistemology questions, the process he did take, and what the reader thinks on the matter.

According to Hume, with his process of thought with empiricism, thinks knowledge is possible.

He believed that all information about the world comes through experience. The

contents of consciousness are what he calls perceptions. […] include our original

experiences [impressions] […] sense data […] “internal” world composed of the

contents of our psychological experiences […] also include what he calls ideas,

or the contents of our memories and imagination (The Search for Knowledge 69).

With this approach to whether knowledge is possible, it is clear that he thinks knowledge is possible through experience; through real experiences, sense data, psychological experiences and ideas. It states that one does not have innate ideas with us such as our senses or emotions, that an individual must experience these actions first in order to recognize what they must be. If one does not experience such actions, they are what he calls ideas, “the copies of them [impressions]” (The Search for Knowledge 69).

He also states that, “We can deny any matter of fact without falling into...

... middle of paper ...

...external world or the self, we are never certain of anything. Hence, we have no knowledge at all because knowledge is classified as true, justified belief and our ideas and thoughts are not. This is a strong case, and therefore, I believe with his knowledge towards skepticism, but I do not necessarily believe in skepticism.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Hume has answered the three epistemological questions with very strong points; first as an empiricist, who then leads to a skeptic. Overall, the opinion of the reader is satisfied, because even though Hume has a very doubtful thought process of empiricism with the idea of perceptions and ideas, he then breaks down his theory with the fact that this so-called knowledge is the only source of knowledge an individual can possibly have, therefore it is not knowledge. Knowledge is worth nothing unless you can practice it.

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