David Hume’s account of causation in An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is based on Empiricism; that is that all knowledge acquired in life ultimately originates from our experiences. Hume provides two reasons supporting this claim. He first states that “when we analyze our thoughts or ideas, however compounded or sublime, we always find that they resolve themselves into such simple ideas as were copied from a precedent feeling or sentiment.” (Hume,634) His second reason is supported by those with a defected organ. Hume points out, for instance, that a blind man is incapable of forming any notion of colors, just as it is impossible for a deaf man to form a notion of sounds. This supports the claim that we are incapable of gaining knowledge from any other source other than experience.

Hume claims that matters of fact are falsely founded on the relation of cause and effect. He describes the relationship of cause and effect as “a principle of connection between different thoughts or ideas,” introducing one another with regularity. For instance, if a man were to find a watch on a desert island, he would automatically assume that the island had once been inhibited. Hume argues that we have no foundation on which to “reduce the principles productive of natural phenomena to a greater simplicity and to resolve the many particular effects into a few general causes.” (H,639)

Hume’s argument is that, to the best of our knowledge, every known effect is independent of any known cause. We cannot be certain that there exists a cause and effect relationship because we are incapable of proving its existence by pure reason. Our basis for arguing the existence of this relationship is solely dependent on custom and resemblance. Hume supports this claim with an example concerning the nourishment of bread. He discusses how when eating bread, we assume that it will, and must provide us with some form of nourishment. However, Hume argues that this claim is based on the “foundation that the future will resemble the past and that similar powers will be conjoined with similar sensible qualities.” (H,642) He argues that we have no reason to know for certain that eating bread will, in turn nourish us. We only believe it will because it has not failed to do so in the past. Hume claims that there is no argument that

Some topics in this essay:
H639 Hume’s, Human Understanding, W62 Warnock, H636 Relations, GJ Warnock, W64 Warnock, Hume634 Ideas, Causation” Lastly, David Hume’s, hume’s argument, cause effect, relations ideas, , account causation, failed start, car failed start, car failed, concerning human understanding, supports claim, eating bread, hume’s account, supporting claim, hume’s account causation, enquiry concerning human,