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Why did Hume criticize traditional religious and school metaphysics?
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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.
David Hume criticized traditional religious and "school" metaphysics because he believed they attempted to reach conclusions about the "supersensible"—realities beyond human experience—that were logically and epistemologically impossible to justify.12
His critique was grounded in several key arguments:
- Empiricism: Hume argued that all simple ideas are derived from sense impressions. Since we lack sense experience of the supersensible, we cannot form valid concepts of it.1
- Limits of Reason: He distinguished between "relations of ideas" (which are logically necessary but provide no new information about reality) and "matters of fact" (which depend on sense experience). He maintained that pure reason cannot attain truths about existence beyond what is experienced.1
- Causal Reasoning: Traditional metaphysics often relied on causal inferences to move from the sensible world to a divine cause. Hume argued that causality is merely a regular succession of events within experience; it cannot be used to bridge the gap between the sensible and the supersensible.12
Consequently, Hume famously urged that such works be "consigned to the flames," as they contained only "sophistry and illusion," though he still advocated for "true metaphysics" as a form of critical philosophical reflection.1