David Hume's Theory of Ideas, Experience, and Impression

II.1. A brief history of David Hume

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Hume was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 26 April 1711 by his real name David Home. But in 1734 he changed his name because in England difficulty saying "Home" by way of Scotland. Hume is the couple's son Joseph chrinside and Khaterine Falcorner. But his father died at the age of Hume was a kid, so he was raised by his mother[1].

In Hume's education problems getting an excellent education. With the estate left by his father. Hume enroll at the University of Edinburgh to study classics. But Hume was not satisfied with the education he received, then he decided to leave the University and he chose to go to France and became a great philosopher.

A too "Ardent submission" to his studies threatened his health, and in 1734, determined to try a complete change of scene and occupation, Hume entered a business house in Bristol. In A Few months he found "the scene totally unsuitable," and he set out for France, resolved "to make a very rigid frugality supply my deficiency of fortune, to maintain unimpaired my independency, and to regard every object as contemptible, except the improvement of my talents in literature. " He visited Paris, resided for a time at Rheims, and then settled at La Fleche, Descartes Nowhere Had gone to school. During his three years in France he wrote the 'Treatise of Human Nature', and in 1737 returned to London to attend to its publication. It appeared in three volumes During 1739-1740. Contrary to his expectations, his first effort "Fell deadborn from the press, without reaching Such distinction as even to excite a murmur Among the zealots[2]."

Upon the failure of his book Hume retired to Ninewells and Devoted Himself to study, mainly in politics and economics. In 1741 he published the first volume of his 'Essays, Moral and Political', the which enjoyed success Such a second That edition was Brought out the Following year. Also at That time he Issued a second volume of Essays. He continued to look about for a position That Would uterus secure independence, and in 1744 tried hard to obtain the chair of moral philosophy at Edinburgh. Failing in this attempt, he accepted the post of tutor to the Marquis of Annandale, WHO Had been declared a lunatic by the court. Upon his dismissal a year later, Hume accepted the office of secretary to General St.. Clair, a distant relative, the WHO was engaged in an "expedition the which was at first meant against Canada, but ended in an incursion on the coast of France." After the failure of this venture he accompanied the general on a "military embassy to the Courts of Vienna and Surin" on the which he "wore the uniform of an officer and was introduced at these Courts as aide-de-camp to the general." He remarks That these two years (1746-48), "Almost the only interruption the which my studies have received During the course of my life," enabled uterus to return to Scotland "master of near a thousand pounds

Since then until his death in 1776 he spent more time of his life in France. As Descartes, Hume also left many in the following[3]:

A Treatise of Human Nature, 1739-1740: Essays, Moral, Political and Literary, 1741-1742: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, 1748, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals \, 1751; Political Discourses, 1752; Four Dissertation, 1757 ; Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, 1779; and Immortality of the Soul, 1783.35.

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals is a summary and revision of the book A Treatiseof Human Nature.

In the spring of 1775 Hume was Stricken with a troublesome though not painful illness. Preparing Himself for "a speedy dissolution," he wrote a short Autobiography, in the which he drew his own character. "I am," he wrote, "or rather was (for that is the style, I must now use in speaking of myself; the which emboldens me the more to speak my Sentiments) I was, I say, a man of mild dispositions, of command of temper, and of an open, social, and Cheerful humor, capable of attachment, but little susceptible of enmity, and of great moderation in all my passions. Even my love of literary fame, my ruling passion, never soured my temper , notwithstanding my frequent disappointments. "

A visit to Bath in 1776 seemed at first to relieve his sickness, but on the return journey more alarming symptoms developed, his strength rapidly sank, and, little more than a month later, he Died in Edinburgh on August 25, 1776. And throughout his life, Hume never married

II.2. The Concept of David hume’s Philosophical Thinking

Human effort to gain knowledge is absolute and must have taken place continuously. However, there is a strong epistemological tradition to base itself on the human experience that left the goal to obtain an absolute and certain knowledge that, one of which is the empiricism[4].

The empirical view that human knowledge can be gained through experience. Empiricism Hume other philosophers like epistemological principle that says, "nil est quod non antea fuerit intelectu in sensu" meaning, "no one else had in mind that there is no advance on sensory data[5].

David Hume argued that the experience is made of the relations of impressions and ideas. the idea that all the contents of our conscious experience can be broken down into two categories, impressions and ideas. Hume says that the term "impression" (impression) refers to "all our perceptions when we hear, see, feel, love, hate, desire or wish. Different impression of the ideas, not in content but in the strength and spirit, with which they touch us. The idea is based on the memory image impression or thoughts about the impression. Hume added that all ideas are basically derived from the impression[6].

According to Hume there are two kinds of knowledge are distinguished by the acquisition process. First is the impression or knowledge gained directly from experience, both outer and inner experiences experiences. The knowledge gained from this impression is clear, 'live', and strong. For example, the knowledge that 'hot fire' which is obtained from directly touching the flame will be clearer and stronger than the knowledge that 'hot fire' of physics textbooks or stories of people[7].

The second type of knowledge is the idea or knowledge gained from the link or connecting various impressions and other knowledge that has been obtained previously. The idea is the result of the process of thinking, remembering, comparing, linking, or fantasize. Most human knowledge is an idea. In this case our knowledge about something is often vague or simply utopian.  The impression intended to be a direct sensing of external reality, and the idea is the memory of impressions. For example if we burned our hands will get hot with the immediate impression. And after that we remember that the hands will burn hot, this is called the idea of ​​memory. In other words impressionlah that makes us recognize the reality. Who's idea is a clone from a vague impression.  Hume argued that the impression or idea can be simple (single) can also be complex (compound). An idea is an extension of an impression. For example, a single idea coming from a single impression. For example the idea of ​​a fire, originating from the sensory impression of the fire. Who's idea came from a collection of compound impression compound[8].

Furthermore, in removing empty terms, Hume mununjukkan a reductive way of cleaning, meaning that examine the complex ideas are commonly used, the extent to which the idea of ​​accountability can be accounted for. Is it complex ideas can be returned to the simple idea that shape it. If a term is not proven presents ideas that can be analyzed into simple ideas, then the term has no meaning.

Hume's theory about the experience begins with the idea that all the contents of our conscious experience can be split into two categories namely ide.Hume impression and said that the term impression (impression) refers to all of our perceptions are more vivid when they hear, see, feel, love, hate, menghendaki. Impression different from the idea, not in content but in the strength and spirit, with which they touch us. On the other hand, the idea is based on the memory image impression or thoughts about the impression, the latter often involves the ability of our imagination that gives the product idea, that maybe we have a direct bearing on the territory of the impression. Nevertheless, all the basic idea comes from the impression.

Hume makes the distinction between impressions and ideas. The impression is a direct sensing of external reality, while the idea is the memory of impressions. According to him, the impression always come first, while the idea as a direct experience cannot be diragukan.38Dengan other words, because the idea is the memory of impressions, then the contents of the human mind depends on the activity of his senses. Hume describes and explains the relationship between impression and idea by stating that both in terms of simplicity or complexity, can be divided into two categories. An impression of a complex composed of the impressions that simple. Exept, every simple idea came from a single impression directly related. On the other hand, a complex of ideas do not have to come from a complex impression. In contrast, complex ideas can be developed from a variety of simple or complex impression, or complex ideas that can be constructed from the ideas of Hume simple. It turns out many complex ideas that do not have the impression that relate to the idea as well. Many complex impressions which is not recorded in our mind. Our idea cannot to describe a city I had never seen. But I've seen of Paris, but we must say we are not able to form ideas about the city of Paris complete with buildings, roads and others complete with their respective sizes. To find out if something that we think knowledge is really knowledge, we must break down complex ideas into simple ideas and then find the impression that is the basis of ideas. If we say we see an "apple", we analyze our experience . The idea we are there is an apple is determined by our vision in red color, round shape, taste apples, and etc[9].

  

A simple idea is an extension of a simple impression. Similarly, the complex of ideas is the continuation of the complex impression. But, can be derived from complex ideas into simple ideas. Our minds according to Hume's work based on the three principles of engagement ideprinsip similarity is to look for similarities between what's on our mind with the reality outside. Second, the principle of closeness that is if we think of a house, then based on the principle of proximity, we also think about the existence of windows, doors, roofs, furniture according to the picture house we get through the previous sensory experiences. Third, the principle of causality that is if we think of injuries, we must think about the resulting pain[10].

The things above suggests that any idea is always related to the impression. Because the impression directly related to the sensory experience of reality, the idea must also be in accordance with the arrested relity sensory experience. Based on the principle of epistemology, Hume launched a harsh criticism against the assumption of epistemological heritage of ancient Greek philosophy that is always claiming that our knowledge is able to reach the real universe. Hume argued that the claim about the universe behind actually sightings cannot be ascertained through the experience of the factual and the principle of non-contradiction. Hume's criticism embodied in a skeptical attitude toward the law of cause and effect which is believed by the rationalists as the main principle regulator of the universe. Necessity from causal relationship can never be observed because it is still a possibility[11].

Hume is very interested in the relation of cause and effect because all considerations relating to the problem based on the facts seem relation of cause and effect. By means that relationship, we can go beyond the evidence of our memory and senses. Causal relationship, according to Hume, are based on habit and mere expectation of events that are not related to one another. People are accustomed to in the past to see the sunrise in the East event is always followed by a drowning incident in the West and he would expect the same events occur in the future. For Hume, science was never able to provide the necessary knowledge about the world. Which it is a priori truth as found in mathematics, logic and geometry did exist, but according to Hume, it does not add to our knowledge of the world. Our knowledge can only grow through empirical observation or a posteriori.

Hume asserted that when we think about cause and effect relationship between two things or more, then we usually refer it with the sense that one is, directly or indirectly adjacent to the other, and that one, which we mark as the cause is in some cases, temporarily ahead of the other. However, these conditions seem not sufficient for the emergence of a relation of cause and effect. because being understood that the first event can be adjacent to and temporarily prior to the second incident was the cause of the incident without a second, it needs something more. Hume thought that we add an idea if there is a fixed relationship (Necessary connection) between the first occurrence and second occurrence of the circumstances in which the first occurrence of the incident is said to cause the second. Without the additional idea that every event or thing must have a cause that produced it for sure, the usual understanding of the relation of cause and effect will not appear. Thus, if a certain symptom, followed by other symptoms, naturally we tend to think that the symptoms that one symptom caused by a stone before. For example the sunny always hot. We conclude stone to heat due to exposed the sun. But this conclusion is not based on Experience. Experience only gives the order of the symptoms, but did not show cause-effect sequence[12].

Hume asserted that experience gives more confidence than the conclusions of logic or necessity of causation. Causal relationship to each other only in sequence and are constantly just happened like, a fire build a fire to boil. Though the fire could not be observed the existence of active power to boil water. So active power is called the law of causality is not observable, not something that can be seen with the eye as the objects that are in the boiled water. Thus causality cannot be used to define the events to come based on previous events. According to Hume, Experience who provided information that directly and definitely against the observed objects according to time and place. I have bread to eat, says Hume, filling me, it means that the body with this material and at that time had a secret power to satiate. However, bread is not necessarily a guarantee that certainly in the future because of the sandwich element has changed because of contaminated and polluted and situasipun no longer the same as the first meal bread. So, experience is the source of information that the bread is filling, henceforth only a mere possibility not a certainty.

In his ethics, Hume discard all forms of causality, because the only reason to refer to him only the adjustment of a certain act with defacto.6 In essence, Hume is analytical thinking, critical, and skeptical. He stems the belief that the only impressions definite, clear, and no doubt, from where he came to believe that "I" including about a utopian world. Means, the world consists of impressions that can be separately compiled objectively, systematically, because there is no relationship between the causes of the impressions.

Meanwhile, on Empiricism Honer and Hunt also see some weakness. First, empiricism is based on experience. But whether is the experience? At one time he was only meant as sensory stimulation. Another time he meant it as a sensation plus with the assessment. As a concept, it does not experience directly related to the objective reality that is elevated by the Empirical. Facts do not have anything that is definite. Second, a theory relies heavily on sensory perception seems to forget the fact that human senses are limited and imperfect[13].

Senses are often misleading because they do not have the equipment to distinguish between fantasy and fact. Third, Empiricism does not provide
certainty. The so-called knowledge which may, in fact is the knowledge that all doubt.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hadi,Hardono, Epistimologi Filsafat Pengetahuan (adapted by book: The philosophy of knowledge by Kenneth T. Gallagher, Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kansius,1994

Putra,Masre, Filsafat Ilmu dan Perkembangannya di Indonesia, Jakarta :Bumi Aksara 2010.

M. Ied Al Munir, Jurnal Filsafat :Tinjauan Terhadap Metode Empirisme Dan rasionalisme, Desember 2004, Jilid 38, No3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume accesed at 9 june 2011

Mustansyir,Rizal.Filsafat Analitik sejarah , perkembangan, dan peranan para tokohnya.Rajawali Pers: Jakarta,1987

Baker,Anton.Metode-Metode Filsafat.Ghalia Indonesia : Jakarta Timur,1984.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume accesed at 9 june 2011

[2] M. Ied Al Munir, Jurnal Filsafat :Tinjauan Terhadap Metode Empirisme Dan rasionalisme, Desember 2004, Jilid 38, No3

[3] Ibid

[4] Baker,Anton.Metode-Metode Filsafat.Ghalia Indonesia : Jakarta Timur,1984. Pages 81

[5] Putra,Masre, Filsafat Ilmu dan Perkembangannya di Indonesia, Jakarta :Bumi Aksara 2010. Pages 33

[6] Hadi,Hardono, Epistimologi Filsafat Pengetahuan (adapted by book: The philosophy of knowledge by Kenneth T. Gallagher, Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kansius,1994 pages 136

[7] Ibid II pages137

[8] Ibid

[9] Ibid II pages 138

[10] Ibid

[11]Mustansyir,Rizal.Filsafat Analitik sejarah , perkembangan, dan peranan para tokohnya.Rajawali Pers: Jakarta,1987 pages 27

[12] M. Ied Al Munir, Jurnal Filsafat :Tinjauan Terhadap Metode Empirisme Dan rasionalisme, Desember 2004, Jilid 38, No3

[13] M. Ied Al Munir, Jurnal Filsafat :Tinjauan Terhadap Metode Empirisme Dan rasionalisme, Desember 2004, Jilid 38, No3

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