His idea that our observations are just in our mind and that we cannot know if objects external to our mind exist or if they exist when we are not looking at them is completely irrational and leads to absurdities. — Ron Cram
I think it is obvious that an external world exists. I don't think that Kant's proof or Moore's proof or any other proof has been persuasive so far and so I'm preparing a paper for a philosophy journal on a new proof of the external world. — Ron Cram
Hume was not the first to bring up the problem of induction. Due to his view that the external world is not provable, Hume greatly overstates the problem of induction. Can you think of anything Hume wrote that is both original and valuable? — Ron Cram
So it seems obvious, but at the same time eludes strict proof. It seems to me like Hume's scepticism is thereby validated. — Echarmion
I also think his realization that certain basic concepts, like causality, can not be gleaned by observation is important. — Echarmion
Take a small child to see his first pool table and the child instantly understands that one pool ball has caused the second ball to move. — Ron Cram
Humans intuitively understand events in the world as being causal. But the fact that we intuitively understand the world to be this way doesn't mean that our understanding is correct. We can observe the pool balls striking each other and then moving as a succession of events. But we can't observe the reason why this happens. — Dusty of Sky
Yes, we can. When we see a billiard ball moving, we can understand that the billiard ball has kinetic energy. When the first ball strikes the second ball, the first ball has less kinetic energy (it may slow or stop) and the second ball begins to roll. The second ball now has the kinetic energy. You can watch the transfer of kinetic energy as it happens. There is no question about this. And it can be confirmed by mathematics. — Ron Cram
But you'd observe the same thing if you were watching an animation of pool balls. We can only observe phenomena, but not the reasons behind phenomena. Reasons are not available to our senses, only to our intellects. — Dusty of Sky
What do you mean when you say we can observe kinetic energy being transferred? — Dusty of Sky
As long as you accept that the external world is real, there is no difficulty in understanding that a moving billiard ball has kinetic energy. — Ron Cram
So it may be true that we don't see causality, but it is false to say we don't experience causality. — Janus
How would you prove that they are wrong, that it's the first ball and not God which causes the second ball to move? — Dusty of Sky
I think it is not a master of being able to see energy but of being able to feel it bodily. — Janus
what does kinetic energy look like to you? — Janus
Kinetic energy can be of any size, any shape and any speed. Kinetic energy doesn't have color because color is a secondary quality. — Ron Cram
I cannot grasp why anyone would think Hume a good philosopher or would claim that he has advanced knowledge. — Ron Cram
54. The generality of mankind never find any difficulty in accounting for the more common and familiar operations of nature—such as the descent of heavy bodies, the growth of plants, the generation of animals, or the nourishment of bodies by food: But suppose that, in all these cases, they perceive the very force or energy of the cause, by which it is connected with its effect, and is for ever infallible in its operation. They acquire, by long habit, such a turn of mind, that, upon the appearance of the cause, they immediately expect with assurance its usual attendant, and hardly conceive it possible that any other event could result from it. It is only on the discovery of extraordinary phaenomena, such as earthquakes, pestilence, and prodigies of any kind, that they find themselves at a loss to assign a proper cause, and to explain the manner in which the effect is produced by it. It is usual for men, in such difficulties, to have recourse to some invisible intelligent principle as the immediate cause of that event which surprises them, and which, they think, cannot be accounted for from the common powers of nature. But philosophers, who carry their scrutiny a little farther, immediately perceive that, even in the most familiar events, the energy of the cause is as unintelligible as in the most unusual, and that we only learn by experience the frequent Conjunction of objects, without being ever able to comprehend anything like Connexion between them. — Hume
118. It seems evident, that men are carried, by a natural instinct or prepossession, to repose faith in their senses; and that, without any reasoning, or even almost before the use of reason, we always suppose an external universe, which depends not on our perception, but would exist, though we and every sensible creature were absent or annihilated. Even the animal creation are governed by a like opinion, and preserve this belief of external objects, in all their thoughts, designs, and actions.
It seems also evident, that, when men follow this blind and powerful instinct of nature, they always suppose the very images, presented by the senses, to be the external objects, and never entertain any suspicion, that the one are nothing but representations of the other. This very table, which we see white, and which we feel hard, is believed to exist, independent of our perception, and to be something external to our mind, which perceives it. Our presence bestows not being on it: our absence does not annihilate it. It preserves its existence uniform and entire, independent of the situation of intelligent beings, who perceive or contemplate it.
But this universal and primary opinion of all men is soon destroyed by the slightest philosophy, which teaches us, that nothing can ever be present to the mind but an image or perception, and that the senses are only the inlets, through which these images are conveyed, without being able to produce any immediate intercourse between the mind and the object. The table, which we see, seems to diminish, as we remove farther from it: but the real table, which exists independent of us, suffers no alteration: it was, therefore, nothing but its image, which was present to the mind. These are the obvious dictates of reason; and no man, who reflects, ever doubted, that the existences, which we consider, when we say, this house and that tree, are nothing but perceptions in the mind, and fleeting copies or representations of other existences, which remain uniform and independent. — Hume
There is a species of scepticism, antecedent to all study and philosophy, which is much inculcated by Des Cartes and others, as a sovereign preservative against error and precipitate judgement. It recommends an universal doubt, not only of all our former opinions and principles, but also of our very faculties; of whose veracity, say they, we must assure ourselves, by a chain of reasoning, deduced from some original principle, which cannot possibly be fallacious or deceitful. But neither is there any such original principle, which has a prerogative above others, that are self-evident and convincing: or if there were, could we advance a step beyond it, but by the use of those very faculties, of which we are supposed to be already diffident. The Cartesian doubt, therefore, were it ever possible to be attained by any human creature (as it plainly is not) would be entirely incurable; and no reasoning could ever bring us to a state of assurance and conviction upon any subject.
It must, however, be confessed, that this species of scepticism, when more moderate, may be understood in a very reasonable sense, and is a necessary preparative to the study of philosophy, by preserving a proper impartiality in our judgements, and weaning our mind from all those prejudices, which we may have imbibed from education or rash opinion. To begin with clear and self-evident principles, to advance by timorous and sure steps, to review frequently our conclusions, and examine accurately all their consequences; though by these means we shall make both a slow and a short progress in our systems; are the only methods, by which we can ever hope to reach truth, and attain a proper stability and certainty in our determinations. — Hume
But even without those experiments, don't you instinctively feel that a falling boulder is dangerous? If you saw a boulder rolling quickly down a hill, wouldn't you want to get out of the way? Of course you would! Ask yourself why! You know the boulder moving quickly has force and energy and would do you great damage. — Ron Cram
But a Pyrrhonian cannot expect, that his philosophy will have any constant influence on the mind: or if it had, that its influence would be beneficial to society. On the contrary, he must acknowledge, if he will acknowledge anything, that all human life must perish, were his principles universally and steadily to prevail. All discourse, all action would immediately cease; and men remain in a total lethargy, till the necessities of nature, unsatisfied, put an end to their miserable existence. It is true; so fatal an event is very little to be dreaded. Nature is always too strong for principle. And though a Pyrrhonian may throw himself or others into a momentary amazement and confusion by his profound reasonings; the first and most trivial event in life will put to flight all his doubts and scruples, and leave him the same, in every point of action and speculation, with the philosophers of every other sect, or with those who never concerned themselves in any philosophical researches. When he awakes from his dream, he will be the first to join in the laugh against himself, and to confess, that all his objections are mere amusement, and can have no other tendency than to show the whimsical condition of mankind, who must act and reason and believe; though they are not able, by their most diligent enquiry, to satisfy themselves concerning the foundation of these operations, or to remove the objections, which may be raised against them.
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There is, indeed, a more mitigated scepticism or academical philosophy, which may be both durable and useful, and which may, in part, be the result of this Pyrrhonism, or excessive scepticism, when its undistinguished doubts are, in some measure, corrected by common sense and reflection. The greater part of mankind are naturally apt to be affirmative and dogmatical in their opinions; and while they see objects only on one side, and have no idea of any counterpoising argument, they throw themselves precipitately into the principles, to which they are inclined; nor have they any indulgence for those who entertain opposite sentiments. To hesitate or balance perplexes their understanding, checks their passion, and suspends their action. They are, therefore, impatient till they escape from a state, which to them is so uneasy: and they think, that they could never remove themselves far enough from it, by the violence of their affirmations and obstinacy of their belief. But could such dogmatical reasoners become sensible of the strange infirmities of human understanding, even in its most perfect state, and when most accurate and cautious in its determinations; such a reflection would naturally inspire them with more modesty and reserve, and diminish their fond opinion of themselves, and their prejudice against antagonists. The illiterate may reflect on the disposition of the learned, who, amidst all the advantages of study and reflection, are commonly still diffident in their determinations: and if any of the learned be inclined, from their natural temper, to haughtiness and obstinacy, a small tincture of Pyrrhonism might abate their pride, by showing them, that the few advantages, which they may have attained over their fellows, are but inconsiderable, if compared with the universal perplexity and confusion, which is inherent in human nature. In general, there is a degree of doubt, and caution, and modesty, which, in all kinds of scrutiny and decision, ought for ever to accompany a just reasoner. — Hume
An object moving does not look like kinetic energy, because if it did you would be able to gauge from the mere appearance the degree of kinetic energy present. — Janus
I am already aware enough of the different categories of energy, so no need to school me on that. If we can see kinetic energy then we ought to be able to see "potential energy, rest energy and inertial energy" (which are really all just potential energy as far as I remember) but we can't. When we see an object at rest we cannot see its potential energy which depends on its mass, which we cannot see. A moving object's kinetic energy also depends on its mass and we can't see that there either. — Janus
I think of Hume as a sensible, serious guy. — joshua
Hume's "sensible scepticism" is really just an admission that his philosophy is irrational and unlivable. — Ron Cram
But again, by what standards do you demarcate the goodness of ideas? — javra
No, potential energy, mass rest energy and inertial energy are not the same. — Ron Cram
Philosophy would render us entirely Pyrrhonian, were not nature too strong for it. — Hume
Can you explain the difference between them? — Janus
The idea that one should bother with a proof of the external world strikes me as absurd. Only a person in the grip of madness doubts the external world, and they might as well doubt the legitimacy of a complicated 'proof' of this world as well. So I think we agree that doubting the external world is just ridiculous. — joshua
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