How Bodies Will Interact in the Future Depends on Our Experience - Research Paper Example

 How Bodies will interact in the Future Depends On our Experience on how they have interacted in the Past Introduction Few philosophers of note had lived a more controversial life than David Hume, born in Scotland. Endowed with sharp intellect coupled with his great desire to learn and be a scholar, he followed a very rigorous program of reading. His family expected him to be a lawyer but this he never pursued. He started writing but his writing did not achieve the attention he wanted for his works. He sought for a chair in two (2) universities which again he failed to get. He occupied positions as clerk and as an employee in different entities. He traveled to France and other places but continued writing. Two works of which became popular upon publication—his Treatise on Human Nature and his Enquiry Concerning Human Nature. The answer to this question is lodged in two of Hume’s works “Treatise on Human Nature” and “Enquiry Concerning Human Nature”. Specifically causation, association, induction and bundle theory of self will be covered. To answer the question, the following terms should be clarified: 1. Belief – it is a peculiar sentiment or a lively conception produced by habit. Belief is essential in the subsistence of human beings. 2. Cause – an object/event followed by another and where all objects, similar to the first are followed by objects similar to the second. These accounts for external impressions. 3. Custom/Habit– repeated reactions to events which determine the mind to suppose the future conformable to the past. The Problem of Causality In the field of natural and physical sciences the law of cause and effect works very well. Events that occur have their causes. Earthquakes are caused by volcanic eruptions; floods may be caused by heavy rains. When one doesn’t eat he will surely die. There are several instances illustrating the veracity of these statements. These are simple occurrences that any one can easily understand. We automatically believe that everything that happens has a cause. The Problem of Induction David Hume, a Scottish philosopher, economist and historian advanced a totally different view of causation. According to him, causes and effects are not discovered by reason but through experience. When we see that one event “causes” another, what we see is that this event is constantly conjoined to another. Hume believes that there is no reason to believe that one caused the other or but they will be always conjoined in the future. This belief of Hume is somewhat intriguing for what relationship would exist between the occurrences of two unrelated events, one occurring before the other. Inductive reasoning works on the principle that past acts are reliable guides to future acts. This is based on the principle of uniformity of nature. Because of this uniformity interactions will be similar. There are numerous instances which illustrate this, but there are also instances where the contrary is exhibited. When the acts have the propensity to renew itself or its operation, we call this the effect of custom or habit. Forms of Induction According to Wikipedia contributors (2007), David Hume’s inductive inference comes in two forms: 1. Demonstrative or intuitive This reasoning is basically a priori. We cannot determine a priori that the future will conform with the past because logically the world may stop being uniform. This cannot be grounded on a priori reasoning, hence the need to put it aside. 2. Inductive Again we cannot rely on the past to infer that the future will be similar or like it. At first glance, this seems to be a logical theory. We arrive at the truth through induction. Again, reason is expected as its determining factor in the process, so like the first method, the demonstrative or intuitive method, Hume also discarded. Hume proposed that these two have no rational foundations and therefore cannot be depended upon. The Bundle Theory of Self Hume believes that we will be the same person in the future as we were in the past because he offers no distinction between the external features of an object or persons and the underlying self that bears the features. To Hume, they are interchangeable. Man retains his identity by no other reason but by the fact that he is composed of many related and yet constantly changing elements. These elements or features do not affect the underlying self. Another important reason is the principle of the uniformity of nature. If nature is uniform, reaction of bodies in the future will definitely be like its reaction in the past. His reaction will be guided by his previous experience. This, however, seem to have some underlying questions. We see around us almost the exact opposite of this belief for change—change of objects, of people, of attitudes, physical changes and all other changes are all around us. In fact change is the only thing that does not remain static. The Principle of Association This principle accounts for the origin of our ideas but our ideas are also connected or linked. Hume states that: “there is a secret tie or union among particular ideas which causes the mind to conjoin them more frequently together and makes the one upon its appearance introduce the other”. The principle required for connecting ideas are natural operations of the mind. It is an association we experience in our internal sensation. Hume’s principles are harbored more on experience than anything else. Hume does not believe in reason as the source of our association of events but merely on experience. His belief about causation and association point to the fact interactions of bodies in the future depends largely upon past interaction or experiences. These interactions based on experience are harbored on the supposition that there is uniformity in nature—and the future will just be like the past. This is because after we have experienced the constant conjunction of two objects, then we expect one from the disappearance of the other. When a particular act produces a propensity to renew the same act, it is believed that this propensity is an effect of what we now call habit or custom. Reasoning concerns itself neither with relations of ideas or matters of fact. Hume establishes that whatever assures us of casual relationship it is not reasoning concerning the relationship of these ideas. Causes of events are distinct from their effects. We can think of one idea occurring and the other not. Casual reasoning therefore is not the foundation of knowledge but merely an experience. Will bodies react in the future as they have reacted in the past? Hume has actually harbored his philosophical principles on the importance which experience plays in various reactions. By the law of association, which he soundly based on experience; the occurrence of an event or object which is in constant conjunction with another, will definitely cause the occurrence of the second event. Hume reasons that one does not cause the second but he firmly believed in the constant conjunction of these events. What matters to Hume is not reason but the feeling involved in the process of attaining one’s goal or objectives. If the act satisfies his end or purpose, then the feeling and motivation are of the higher degree. Interactions involve not only the two interacting objects or bodies but the interacting environment as well. Hume was of the belief that these bodily reactions of the past will be similar reactions of the same bodies in the future. These beliefs were defended by Hume in both his Treatise and Enquiry. However, one has to reexamine Hume’s beliefs in the light of the beliefs of other intelligent philosophers like him. WORKS CITED Morris, William Edward, "David Hume", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2001 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2001/entries/hume/ (accessed April 30, 2007). Wikipedia contributors, "David Hume," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Hume&oldid=126862260 (accessed April 30, 2007). Read More