Humean Definition of Causality

Running head: HUMEAN DEFINITION OF CAUSALITY
HUMEAN DEFINITION OF CAUSALITY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HUMEAN DEFINITION OF CAUSALITY
David Hume is one of the most celebrated philosophers of the 18th century. The
philosopher is known to have been one of the philosophers who have been writing in English and
is known to be the last of the members of the triumvirate who were members of the British
triumvirate. The major works that were composed by the celebrated philosopher refers to the
works entitled A Treatise of Human Nature published in the year 1739 and the book entitled An
Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding published in the year 17481. The philosopher aimed
at challenging the then traditional beliefs in the several ways that led to shock the readers of the
given time period as well as aimed to draw the attention of the philosophers who have been
residing in the society till date. The philosopher is known for the discussion and the opinions that
he had put forth in the matters that deal with the theories of causality, the problems that might
occur in personal identity and induction as well2. The theory of causality as stated by Hume is
known to be partially correct as described by the philosophers in the current days. The claim that
“the Humean definition of causality is correct” is not always applicable.
The following paper attempts a discussion on the Humean theory of causality. The essay
opens with the discussion on the theory of causality as stated by the celebrated Scottish
philosopher David Hume. The essay further proceeds to deal with the implementation of the
theory of causality in the regular lives of the people. The essay further proceeds to discuss the
limitations of the implementation of the theory of causality as discussed by David Hume.
The theory of causality as discussed by the famous philosopher David Hume refers to the
theory of reasoning as is present within the everyday functions of the human beings. The
causality is involved in all the exercises that are undertaken by the human beings in their daily
1 Strawson, Galen. The Secret Connexion: Causation, Realism, and David Hume: Revised Edition. Oxford
University Press, 2014.
2 Whelan, Frederick J. Order and Artifice in Hume's Political Philosophy. Vol. 4899. Princeton University
Press, 2017.

2HUMEAN DEFINITION OF CAUSALITY
activities all over the world. The causality as stated by Hume is considered to be a presupposition
within every given form of argument that is undertaken by the human beings in their lifetime.
The causality as stated by Hume is known to have been implemented in any given sphere of
argument that is implemented by the concerned human being3. The theory of causality as
discussed by the philosophers is well known to have been holding an important place in the
subject of philosophy and majorly in the matters that are related to the philosophy of science.
According to the theory proposed by Hume, causality is known to be the cementing factor of the
universe. This implies that the causality is considered to be one of the factors that have been
holding the universe together since time immemorial. The relation the body to the mind is
dependent on the understanding of the actual nature of the causes. The aftereffect of the
understanding of the causes also affect the various factors like the relation of the minds to the
bodies, the ways in which the free will might work4. It also affects that the influence of the ideas
over the actions that are undertaken by the human beings. The causality also affects the changes
that are produced in the bodies due to their association with the other bodies in discussion.
The theory of causality tends to implore the fact that the entire mankind attempts to put
forth a causative approach towards the actions that it performs for the others. The theory of
causality implements a natural attribution that is observed in the relationship that exists between
the cause and the effect of the phenomena. This is however found to be an anterior element in the
philosophical analysis and statements on the given topic. The question of causality within the
human mind arises when they tend to discuss the actual meaning of statement like “B is caused
by A”5. The answer to the given question is known to be the concept of the causation in the given
3 Fay, Brian. Social theory and political practice (RLE social theory). Routledge, 2014.
4 Broad, Charlie Dunbar. Five types of ethical theory. Routledge, 2014.
5 Anscombe, Elizabeth. "Causality and determination." Agency And Responsiblity. Routledge, 2018. 57-73.

3HUMEAN DEFINITION OF CAUSALITY
case. The implementation of the theories in the philosophical sense puts forth various questions
that are deeper than is relevant in the first place.
It is observed that the philosophers that existed before Hume stated the fact that the
propositions on causation to be a necessary truth were considered to be a priori statements.
These philosophers claimed that there is a cause behind every single action and that certain
particular actions have certain particular effects. The philosophers prior to Hume were observed
to have prior knowledge of the cause as well as the effect of certain actions. They claimed that
the logical realm runs alongside the realms of causality6. The philosophers of the era prior to
Hume, Spinoza for example, considered metaphysics to be a universal account. The philosophers
stated that the universe had developed from several definitions especially as a matter that needs
nothing externa; for its being or conception in addition to some assumptions that were evident in
themselves.
Thus, it might be said that the three major features of the older account of the causality
included the features that stated the fact that the propositions that were maintained about
causation were known to be necessary truths. It also stated that the propositions about certain
cases were known to be a priori conditions. The philosophers practicing the old school of
causality stated that the propositions that were stated regarding certain cases involved the causal
as well as the logical connections7. The old school of philosophers on the issue further stated that
the rationalist metaphysics that were practiced by the philosophers like Spinoza were made
possible due to the nature of the causality that was practiced during those times.
6 Strawson, Peter. The bounds of sense: An essay on Kant’s critique of pure reason. Routledge, 2018.
7 Bhaskar, Roy. The possibility of naturalism: A philosophical critique of the contemporary human
sciences. Routledge, 2014.