Pros And Cons Of David Hume Scepticism

Section twelve on the Enquiry sees Hume concerned with scepticism, and begins part one with the question of how far one may push the philosophical principles of doubt and uncertainty. In doing so, Hume outlines two types of scepticism, antecedent and consequent, and asserts that each type of scepticism exists in both strong and moderate forms. In its strong form, antecedent scepticism – which Hume attributes to Descartes – calls all our opinions, and even our faculties, into doubt, and posit that to assure ourselves of them we much base them on some original, a priori, principle. However, for Hume, such principles do not exist, and even if one were to be found, we would be unable to move beyond it, as doing so would require the use of our faculties
Our senses are questioned, and even “the maxims of common life are subjected to the same doubt as the most profound principles or conclusions of metaphysics and theology” (Hume 1993: 103). Thus, such scepticism is so strong that it would seem to resign us to total inaction. For Hume, a moderate version of consequent scepticism is far more reasonable, in which, although we acknowledge issues stemming from our senses, such as the appearance of a bent oar in water, we, given our natural instinct to use and trust our sense, utilise or senses without implicitly depending on them. That is, we should evaluate the our perceptions, and correct their evidence through our reason where needed (Hume 1993:
However, in opposition to strong scepticism, Hume makes it clear that, “in common life, we reason every moment concerning fact and existence” as opposed to the strong sceptic who seems unable to act if you were to follow through on their claims. That is, although it may be accepted and venerated in academia, and even if it proves hard to refute them, the task of living is a rapid antidote to the principles of strong scepticism. When we engage with the world, including matter and objects, our nature quickly asserts itself, and even the most dedicated sceptic is found to operate no differently than anyone else (Hume 1993: 109-110). Importantly, for Hume, no good can come from strong scepticism. That is, there is no goal, principles which we should follow, or desirable consequences which will follow from strong scepticism. Instead, under strong scepticism, all human action, and more importantly, life itself, would come to an end if strong scepticism were to be taken up seriously (Hume 1993: 110). Nevertheless, according to Hume, our nature is too strong for the principles of strong scepticism to really flourish. Although it scepticism may momentarily dumbfound or unsettle us, life will rapidly see the sceptic abandoning his doubts, while at the same time, he will be speculating