David Hume Research Paper

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Hume in Self Though I am a mere infant in the world of philosophy, I know one thing for certain: Identifying the self is a battle that has yet to be won. Many a philosopher have gone to war with the issue but without concrete evidence of this mystic being, there can be no victor. Nonetheless, of the many beautiful attempts at putting words to this indescribable entity we call our soul, one stands out bold in my eyes. “That individual person, of whose actions and sentiments each of us is intimately conscious.” (Lorenzo) I will argue for David Hume’s definition of the self. Unlike many philosophers before him, Hume rejects the idea that we are constantly conscious of our “self”. (Langsdale) “From what impression could this idea be derived?” (Philosophy) According to Hume, there are two types of perceptions: impressions and ideas. Because “it must be some one impression that gives rise to every real idea” there can no idea of a soul in our …show more content…

His experimental approach lead to him to various mental thought experiments in order to produce and provide evidence for his theses.(Radcliffe) Hume was less than pleased with the philosophers before him. Starting at age 18, he set out to break the pattern of hypothetical philosophies and the dependence on invention as opposed to experience. (Morris) This is why he relies on his perceptions to find himself. It seems reasonable to say that anyone who looks within themselves to find their “self” is left with nothing but thoughts, memories, and an awareness of how small we are in the universe. Hume states that the concept of time is something we’ve produced, not an external phenomenon. (Iep) How can that be? According to Hume, this concept of time has been copied repeatedly from person to person until it is perceived by the mind as a fixed concept. (Iep) This idea is intriguing because it is further proof that Hume believes you should rely on nothing but your

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