Britannica Sources used in this answer

What did Hume mean by cultivating true metaphysics to defeat false metaphysics?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Marble bust of Aristotle with a beard and draped robe, showing detailed facial features and wavy hair, set against a dark background. — metaphysics Detail of a Roman copy (2nd century bce) of a Greek alabaster portrait bust of Aristotle (c. 325 bce); in the collection of the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.

In the context of his philosophical work, David Hume used the phrase "cultivate true metaphysics" to refer to the practice of critical philosophical reflection.1

Hume was famously critical of what he termed "school metaphysics" and "volumes of divinity," which he dismissed as containing nothing but "sophistry and illusion". By advocating for "true metaphysics," he sought to establish a rigorous, disciplined approach to philosophy that would expose and dismantle these "false and adulterate" systems.1

For Hume, this true, critical metaphysics involved:
* Empirical grounding: Insisting that all meaningful ideas must be derived from sense impressions, thereby rejecting the notion of innate ideas.1
* Logical boundaries: Distinguishing clearly between propositions concerning "relations of ideas" (which are necessary but merely analytic) and "matters of fact" (which are contingent and dependent on experience).1
* Causal analysis: Demonstrating that causal reasoning is limited to observed regularities within experience and cannot be used to infer the existence of a supersensible realm.1

Ultimately, Hume’s goal was to use this careful, critical inquiry to clear away speculative, unfounded metaphysical systems that lacked a basis in human experience.1