Zitate von George Berkeley und David Hume

George Berkeley
12.3.1685 Disert Castle (County Kilkenny) – 14.1.1753 Oxford

"We have first raised a dust and then complain we cannot see."
Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge

David Hume
26.4.1711 Edinburgh – 25.8. 1776 Edinburgh –

John Earman über David Hume

[Philo:] "I shall never esteem it any advantage to shove off for a moment a difficulty, which, you acknowledge, must immediately, in its full force, recur upon me."
[Philo:] "It is an absurdity to believe that the Deity has human passions, and one of the lowest of human passions, a restless appetite for applause."
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

"In all ages of the world, priests have been enemies of liberty."
Essays, Moral, Political, and Literary

None but a fool or madman will ever pretend to dispute the authority of experience
"And though none but a fool or madman will ever pretend to dispute the authority of experience, or to reject that great guide of human life, it may surely be allowed a philosopher to have so much curiosity at least as to examine the principle of human nature, which gives this mighty authority to experience, and makes us draw advantage from that similarity which nature has placed among different objects. From causes which appear similar we expect similar effects. This is the sum of all our experimental conclusions." An Enquire Concerning Human Understanding, IV. Sceptical Doubts concerning the Operations of the Understanding - Part II

The Principle of the Uniformity of Nature – Das Prinzip der Gleichförmigkeit der Natur
"All our experimental conclusions proceed upon the supposition that the future will be conformable to the past."
An Enquire Concerning Human Understanding, IV. Sceptical Doubts concerning the Operations of the Understanding - Part II

Problem of Induction – Hume's Problem
"That there are no demonstrative arguments in the case seems evident; since it implies no contradiction that the course of nature may change, and that an object, seemingly like those which we have experienced, may be attended with different or contrary effects."
"For all inferences from experience suppose, as their foundation, that the future will resemble the past, and that similar powers will be conjoined with similar sensible qualities."
An Enquire Concerning Human Understanding, IV. Sceptical Doubts concerning the Operations of the Understanding - Part II

	"When we run over libraries, persuaded of these principles, what havoc must we make? If we take in our hand any volume; of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance; let us ask, Does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence? No. Commit it then to the flames: for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion." An Enquire Concerning Human Understanding, XII. Of the academical or sceptical Philosophy - Part III
	Die letzte Aussage Humes wird manchmal verkürzt zu: "If it is metaphysics consign it to the flames!"
	In deutsch: "Sehen wir, von diesen Prinzipien durchdrungen, die Bibliotheken durch, welche Verwüstungen müssen wir da nicht anrichten? Greifen wir irgendeinen Band heraus, etwa über Gotteslehre oder Schulmetaphysik, so sollten wir fragen.- Enthält er irgend einen abstrakten Gedankengang über Größe oder Zahl? Nein. Enthält er irgend einen auf Erfahrung gestützten Gedankengang über Tatsachen und Dasein? Nein. Nun, so werft ihn ins Feuer, denn er kann nichts als Blendwerk und Täuschung enthalten." Eine Untersuchung über den menschlichen Verstand