Russell and Humean Inferences

Authors

  • João Paulo Monteiro Universidade de Lisboa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/%25x

Abstract

Russell's The Problems of Philosophy tries to establish a new theory of induction, at the same time that Hume is there accused of an irrationa/sceptictsm about induction". But a careful analysis of the theory of knowledge explicitly acnowledged by Hume revoais thctt, contrary to the standard interpretation in the XXth century, possibly influenced by Russell, Hume deals exclusively with causal inference (which he never classifies as "causal induction", although now we are entitkd to do so), never with inductive inference in general, mainly generalisations abouy sensible qualities of objects ( whether, e.g., "all crows are black" or not is not arnong Hume's concerns). Russell's the,ories are thus only false alternatives
to Hume's, in (1912) or in his (1948).

Published

2001-01-01

Issue

Section

Articles