Humes And Descartes

Hume was empiricist. The empiricism, like rationalism, focuses on the knowledge and the way in which we know things, as well as

in the materials of which knowledge is made. The mainrepresentatives of the empiricism were Locke, in the Baroque, and J.

Berkeley, and David Hume in the english enlightenment. The main representatives of rationalism were Descartes, Leibnitz,

Malebranche,Spinoza.

Hume distinguishes two types of perceptions: impressions and ideas. The impresions are the immediate data of a sensitive

experience, while the ideas are the copies that are weakened inour mind after a sensible experience. Perceptions also

distinguishes between simple and complex. The simple are indivisible and the complex are severable. Critiques metaphysics, and

denies theexistence of the idea of substance, because it does not match any sensitive experience.


For Descartes, the method of knowledge was mathematics, in particular the geometry of Euclid; while forHume it was Newton's

physics. Descartes used an hypothetical-deductive method, that goes from the universal to the particular. Hume used the

inductive method, that goes from the particular to theuniversal. Hume believes that knowledge is probable. Descartes believes

in the existence of innate ideas in human beings, undeniable truths and safe ones; but Hume denies that, because for himthe

human mind at birth is like a blank workbook in which is being written through the experience.

For Descartes the criterion of truth was the evidence: something exists when the reason sees itas obvious, clear and distinct.

Hume's criterion of truth was the criterion of correspondence: something exists when it coincides with a sensible

experience. For both philosophers, knowledgeis the knowledge of ideas, but have different concepts of ideas. Descartes

thinks that an idea is a kind of lens through which we see what actually exists; Hume sees it as a weakened copy that...