z-logo
Premium
H ume's Foundational Project in the T reatise
Author(s) -
Boehm Miren
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
european journal of philosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.42
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1468-0378
pISSN - 0966-8373
DOI - 10.1111/ejop.12056
Subject(s) - epistemology , reading (process) , philosophy , focus (optics) , sociology , mathematics education , computer science , mathematics , linguistics , physics , optics
  In the I ntroduction to the T reatise   H ume very enthusiastically announces his project to provide a secure and solid foundation for the sciences by grounding them on his science of man. And H ume indicates in the A bstract that he carries out this project in the T reatise . But most interpreters do not believe that H ume's project comes to fruition. In this paper, I offer a general reading of what I call H ume's ‘foundational project’ in the T reatise , but I focus especially on B ook 1. I argue that in B ook 1 much of H ume's logic is put in the service of the other sciences, in particular, mathematics and natural philosophy. I concentrate on H ume's negative thesis that many of the ideas central to the sciences are ideas that we cannot form. For H ume, this negative thesis has implications for the sciences, as many of the texts I discuss make evident. I consider and criticize different proposals for understanding these implications: the C riterion of M eaning and the ‘ I nconceivability P rinciple’. I introduce what I call H ume's ‘No R eason to B elieve’ P rinciple, which I argue captures more adequately the link Hume envisions between his logic, in particular his examination of ideas, and the other sciences.

This content is not available in your region!

Continue researching here.

Having issues? You can contact us here