To start class on wednesday we reviewed the main points of Descartes. For example; metholodgical doubt, "I think therefore I am", and ontological proof for a benevolent God. The question of where the idea of perfect comes from caused a discussion. Descartes would argue that the answer must come from outside oursleves, which would lead to the idea of God.
We then moved on to Hume and discussed some background information. Hume was an empircist and opposed to Descartes rationalism and Newtonian physics. Hume believed there was no innate knowledge; all knowledge is gained from experience. Hume also said Desire not Reason governs human behavior. Which means when we reason something it comes from having a desire for something. Another quote that explains this would be "reason is and ought to be the slave of passions."
We then moved on to the problem of Induction. We discussed deduction first, which is defined as going from general principles to particular conclusions. The opposite of that would be induction, going from particular principles to general conclusions. Induction is a main concept Newton used in his laws of physics and Hume argues against it by saying there are no patterns of events to make us assume the future. The example of the dog and the dinner bell was used, where everytime the bell rang the dog would get fed, but there is no proof that these two events are connected.
We then discussed the Self and Hume would say the Self that you think you are is an illusion and there is no reason to believe that who you are now will be the person you are in the future.
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