Hume's Skepticism: A Philosophical Analysis

This paper provides a philosophical analysis of skepticism as discussed by David Hume, a celebrated Scottish philosopher. It discusses the origins and usage of skepticism in various fields and Hume's views on empiricism, belief in God, and objective morality.

Running head: HUME’S SKEPTICISM
HUME’S SKEPTICISM
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Author Note

1HUME’S SKEPTICISM
David Hume is one of the major philosophers who have been known to have been dealing
with the issues related to skepticism. The skepticism as discussed by Hume is known to be a
scientific theory that deals with the questioning attitude that is developed by the humans in
matters related to the beliefs existent within the society. The following paper deals with the
skepticism as discussed by the celebrated Scottish philosopher, David Hume.
The theory of skepticism often discusses the issues that are related to the tendency of the
concerned human beings to question the various happenings that have been taking place around
them. The philosophy of skepticism majorly deals with the various factors that are implemented
majorly in the matters that are related to the morality, supernaturality, religious beliefs of the
concerned person and the knowledge that is acquired by the person. Skepticism is mainly linked
to the philosophical matters that are implemented within the country. the major usage of the
concept of skepticism is found in the branches of epistemological philosophy (Stanistreet 2017).
However, the concept finds further usage in the fields that are related to the religious matters, the
political issues and the issues generated in the fields of pseudoscience. The philosophical
skepticism discusses the fact that the knowledge is possible to achieve and states that the
skepticism helps in the providing the concerned person with clarity and reason behind the fact
that they are being enlightened on. The origins of the philosophical skepticism can be traced
back to the country of Greece.
The philosophical skepticism as discussed by Hume puts forth the claim that the all the
various ideas that are genuine have their roots in the introspective consciousness or the original
impressions that have been created by the sensations. David Hume, the celebrated Scottish
philosopher is known to be a staunch follower of empiricism and states that no sound reason is
capable of explaining the belief in God. The empiricist is also known to have denied the beliefs

2HUME’S SKEPTICISM
in the causal necessity, inductive reasoning or even the objective morality. Hume argued that the
human belief is based more on the habit rather than on the reasons. The philosopher further
argues that the skeptical arguments cannot dissuade the concerned people from their habit of
believing in a certain set of facts. The argument that was put forth by Hume however found a
strong challenge in the theories that were put forth by the contemporary philosophers like Reid.
The philosophers like Reid state that the belief in the common-sense of the given person is
rationally acceptable despite the fact that they have not yet been proved (Qu 2018). The
successors of Hume like Kant state that the skeptical conclusions provided by Hume should be
rejected in order to understand the moral awareness of the human beings.
Thus, from the above discussion it might be pointed out that the views that have been put
forth by David Hume are beneficial in the discussion on philosophical skepticism despite the
challenges that have been put forth in the later years.

3HUME’S SKEPTICISM
References
Qu, H., 2018. Hume's Internalist Epistemology in EHU 12. Philosophy and Phenomenological
Research, 96(3), pp.517-539.
Stanistreet, P., 2017. Hume's scepticism and the science of human nature. Routledge.