Human Nature: Foundation of All Sciences
Human Nature: The Foundation of All Sciences
Hume’s Philosophy on Science and Human Nature
David Hume argues for the interdependence of all sciences and what he terms “the science of human nature.” Since all sciences are created by humans, it is humans who should be studied. Everything that humans can know depends on their capacity. Hume’s philosophy seeks to bring humanity towards progress and modernity. This “Science of Man” aimed to move away from the old, overly rational, and superstitious ways of thinking, leading to a world without prejudice and religious bigotry.
Hume believed that superstition (religion) and rationalist metaphysics were the ideological foundations of the societal stagnation of his time. He saw religious intolerance, hypocrisy, malice, terror, and the ignorance fostered by religion as the primary sources of unhappiness and anxiety for individuals, hindering progress, culture, and societal well-being. Hume sought to liberate people from this scourge, believing the science of man to be the only way to dismantle that detrimental philosophy. He posits that when the religious spirit is not taken into account, one feels happier and more prosperous.
The Interconnectedness of Sciences
All sciences are related, to a greater or lesser extent, to human nature. We could not predict the changes and progress in science if we did not know the extent and strength of human understanding. This is especially true in natural religion, where more progress can be expected since we are not only reasonable beings but also one of the objects about which we reason. Therefore, if sciences like mathematics, natural philosophy, and natural religion depend on the knowledge we have about humans, we can expect much more from those sciences that are closer to human nature.
Logic’s sole purpose is to explain our reasoning faculty and the nature of our ideas. Morality and art criticism deal with our tastes and feelings, while politics deals with the behavior of humans in society. These four sciences—logic, morals, criticism, and politics—encompass everything that a person might be interested in knowing and areas where they can advance.
Establishing a Science of Human Nature
To establish a science of human nature, there must be uniformity and permanence over time. These two conditions will allow us to obtain, through generalization, laws regarding the conduct of humans and the study of nature.
The Role of Motives and Experience
The same motives always produce the same actions. Ambition, greed, friendship, vanity, etc., are the source of all actions observed in humankind. Humanity remains the same across all times and places. However, not all individuals act the same way in the same circumstances because we must consider the diversity of characters, prejudices, and opinions.
Experience and observation are the foundations of the science of human nature, and knowledge can only be obtained through them. The “ultimate essence of human nature” is not within human capacities and lies beyond the limits set by experience.
Experience and Observation
For Hume, experience is a set of detailed observations from daily life, history, and society, encompassing both mental and behavioral aspects as they occur in everyday life. However, the repetition of experiments is not possible with humans. Humanity has its peculiarities, and this is where psychological insight and socio-historical analysis of differences come into play, leading to the general laws of human events. Hume attempts to shift the foundation of science and knowledge to what we call common sense.