浅析康德因果关系理论对休谟问题的解决

An Analysis of Kant’s Causality Theory in Solving Hume’s Problem

康德的因果关系理论直接来源于对休谟问题的回答,然而对于“康德的因果关系理论是否成功解决了休谟问题?”这件事情,学术界尚未形成定论。在笔者看来,休谟对因果关系的普遍必然性的否定是基于他的客观主义(即认为真理的对象是独立于人的客观世界)与经验主义(感官知觉是知识的唯一可靠的来源)的预设,在这种预设的前提下,证明因果关系的推理无法获得普遍必然性。而康德否定了休谟的预设,也改变了特殊因果性的概念内涵,反之以一种现象主义与先验论的立场来论证了因果关系的普遍必然性。

Kant’s theory of causality is directly derived from his answer to the Hume’s problem. However, the academic community has not yet formed a consensus on whether Kant’s theory of causality has successfully solved the Hume’s problem. In the author’s view, Hume’s negation of the universal inevitability of causality is based on his assumptions of objectivism (that is, the object of truth is independent of the objective world of humans) and empiricism (sensory perception is the only reliable source of knowledge), under which reasoning to prove causality cannot obtain universal inevitability. Kant denied Hume’s presupposition and changed the concept of special causality. On the contrary, he argued for the universal inevitability of causality from a phenomenological and transcendental perspective.