经验与理性之间——简评休谟的认识论

Between Experience and Reason: A Brief Comment on Hume's Epistemology

经验推理问题是休谟认识论的核心问题 ,此问题又分为因果问题和归纳问题。休谟是从对因果问题的质疑入手的 ,从而把因果推理归结为恒常会合的推理即归纳推理。进而得出结论 ;恒常会合“推理”其实只是人们的心理习惯 ,因果推理也是如此。休谟指出 ,事物的“独立存在”和“继续存在”像是人们感觉到的 ,其实只不过是人们出于思维方便而作出的一种假设。这样 ,休谟认识论的两块基石即经验和理性便被休谟本人摧毁了 。

The problem of experiential inference is the core problem in Hume's epistemology. This problem is divided into two ones which are problems of causality and induction. Hume proceeded from the problem of causality, and reduced it to the constant conjunction that is inductive inference. Hume further concluded that the 'inference' of constant conjunction is only people's mental habit. In addition, Hume pointed out that 'independent existence' and 'continuous existence' of things are only hypotheses, which people makes for convenience of thinking. Thus the two cornerstones of Hume's epistemology, i.e., experience and reason, are destroyed by himself.