Hume's True Scepticism

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, History, Criticism, & Surveys, Mind & Body
Cover of the book Hume's True Scepticism by Donald C. Ainslie, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Donald C. Ainslie ISBN: 9780191064203
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: September 3, 2015
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Donald C. Ainslie
ISBN: 9780191064203
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: September 3, 2015
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

David Hume is famous as a sceptical philosopher but the nature of his scepticism is difficult to pin down. Hume's True Scepticism provides the first sustained interpretation of Part 4 of Book 1 of Hume's Treatise, his deepest engagement with sceptical arguments. Hume notes there that, while reason shows that we ought not to believe the verdicts of reason or the senses, we do so nonetheless. Donald C. Ainslie argues that Hume uses our reactions to the sceptical arguments as evidence in favour of his model of the mind. If we were self-conscious subjects, superintending our rational and sensory beliefs, nothing should stop us from embracing the sceptical conclusions. But instead our minds are bundles of perceptions with our beliefs being generated, not by reflective assent, but by the imagination's association of ideas. We are not forced into the sceptical quagmire. Nonetheless, we can reflect and philosophy uses this capacity to question whether we should believe our instinctive rational and sensory verdicts. It turns out that we cannot answer this question because the reflective investigation of the mind interferes with the associative processes involved in reason and sensation. We thus must accept our rational and sensory capacities without being able to vindicate or undermine them philosophically. Hume's True Scepticism addresses Hume's theory of representation; his criticisms of Locke, Descartes, and other predecessors; his account of the imagination; his understanding of perceptions and sensory belief; and his bundle theory of the mind and his later rejection of it.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

David Hume is famous as a sceptical philosopher but the nature of his scepticism is difficult to pin down. Hume's True Scepticism provides the first sustained interpretation of Part 4 of Book 1 of Hume's Treatise, his deepest engagement with sceptical arguments. Hume notes there that, while reason shows that we ought not to believe the verdicts of reason or the senses, we do so nonetheless. Donald C. Ainslie argues that Hume uses our reactions to the sceptical arguments as evidence in favour of his model of the mind. If we were self-conscious subjects, superintending our rational and sensory beliefs, nothing should stop us from embracing the sceptical conclusions. But instead our minds are bundles of perceptions with our beliefs being generated, not by reflective assent, but by the imagination's association of ideas. We are not forced into the sceptical quagmire. Nonetheless, we can reflect and philosophy uses this capacity to question whether we should believe our instinctive rational and sensory verdicts. It turns out that we cannot answer this question because the reflective investigation of the mind interferes with the associative processes involved in reason and sensation. We thus must accept our rational and sensory capacities without being able to vindicate or undermine them philosophically. Hume's True Scepticism addresses Hume's theory of representation; his criticisms of Locke, Descartes, and other predecessors; his account of the imagination; his understanding of perceptions and sensory belief; and his bundle theory of the mind and his later rejection of it.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Jansenism and England by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book On the Ocean by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book Shakespeare's Comedies: A Very Short Introduction by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book Oxford Handbook of Pre-Hospital Care by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book The EU Common Security and Defence Policy by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book The Hancocks of Marlborough by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book Britannia's Auxiliaries by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book Rastafari: A Very Short Introduction by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book Addiction Medicine by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book Landmark Papers in Neurology by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book Selected Fables by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book A Dictionary of Contemporary World History by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book (Dis)connected Empires by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book Fichte's Ethical Thought by Donald C. Ainslie
Cover of the book Oxford Desk Reference: Obstetrics and Gynaecology by Donald C. Ainslie
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy