The Scottish thinker David Hume wanted to bring philosophy to its senses. He scoffed at so-called human reason. Like John Locke, Hume thought that what people knew about the world began with the senses. He set out to discover whether there was any real proof of those things that people took for granted.
His conclusion pulled the rug from under both science and religion. Hume's questioning of God's existence might have cost him his life a century or so earlier. It still caused a public scandal, this may be why he said:
"Errors in religion are
dangerous
those in philosophy only
ridiculous"
Hume's family were Scottish gentry. His mother wanted him to become a solicitor, but he was more interested in philosophy. By the age of 27 he had gathered his thoughts together, and they were published under the title
"A Treatise in Human Nature". Hume made no secret of the fact that he sought literary fame and fortune. And so he was a little miffed when his book went largely unnoticed. It was history and not philosophy that brought him success. Hume's "History of England" was a best seller. When "Treatise" was revised and published ten years later under a new title, it got the attention Hume knew it deserved.
Hume said that all knowledge boiled down to two sources - impressions and ideas. Impressions are direct experiences, whereas ideas are just memories of impressions. The brain can sort and combine ideas into complex creations that do not exist in reality. For example, the idea of mermaid combines the impression of "fish" and "woman". Ideas such as heaven and hell are just figments of imagination until proved to be real. He also challenged accepted scientific laws, such as gravity and cause and effect. His view was that they are accepted in the same way that someone who has only ever seen brown cows thinks all cows are brown.
Hume worked in the British embassy in Paris for three years.
"people expect a falling glass to break ... this may not always be the case"
Hume questioned the concept of cause and effect... the fact a glass is broken does not mean it fell to the ground.
Hume went to Edinburgh University at 12 to study law, but he found it boring.
