Hume and His Assumptions

Hume was a very interesting philosopher to read in class. I say this because his assumptions on human reasoning (when he, himself  is reasoning) and rational thought is very skeptical. Unlike many philosophers, Hume’s philosophy is based off of the assumption that humans experience and find our sources of morality and religion based off of impressions (things we experience). But his ideas expand even more, or his idea of our thought on morality being based off of impressions is accompanied by another idea, being that humans use ideas (our reflections, abstractions, and so forth of thought) and what we reflect off of them. In these ideas and impressions we are mammals looking for repetition. This repetition isn’t the repetition per-sé, of shapes, but of habitual associations and natural needs. Humans need that impression that someone is looking out for them in an omniscient way -- to know that there is someone responsible for blessings and another force responsible for curses. Our humanly actions stem from that natural feelings we experience, and aren’t interfered by our reasoning.

In response to his assumption on moral sentiment and the existence of a supernatural figure, humans have a natural sense of virtue. This virtue stems from the idea of human ideas and impressions. Hume believed our basis and ideas of virtue are simply based upon the feelings and associations of pain and pleasure. We are beings in search of pleasure, wanting to avoid pain. If something causes us pain, we label it unvirtuous and continue on, making note as we live our lives. On the existence of God, Hume refers back to his original sources or principles that existence comes from human ideas and impressions. With this, Hume tries to argue that a cause for the belief in a god is due to the “supposedly proportional to the observed effect,” in the case being  that “manifested imperfections” seen on the world we live in could never support such a claim in a perfect creator.

My response to his own reasoning is that there’s more to the human existence than just ideas and impressions. It goes deeper. Ideas develop and so do impressions. There’s an instinctual and biological association to beliefs people develop, as well as psychological. Not just in mere thought and physical experiences. Yes, through experiences, such as science things are proven, but there are many things that require faith, and it is in the beauty of faith that people grow and blossom. Hume pulls a paradox on himself, as he uses his own mental capability and brain to reason and to grow in his ideas and experiences. As far as the idea of virtues, however, excluding his ideas on God, as I could write a book on what I think of his assumptions, however they are entirely worldly and objectifying, I have to agree with his assumptions that humans are beings looking for pleasure and discouraging/hating pain. It’s part of a classical condition humans experiences - if something causes them pain physically or emotionally, we simply avoid such a situation, which can shape our virtues and morals. I salute his overall efforts and his ideas, as they are notable, but they are, mostly to me, irrational and conceivably, irrelevant.