Why does Hume argue that past observations cannot prove the future will resemble the past?
In the philosophy of science, David Hume argues that past observations cannot rationally prove the future will resemble the past because any such inference relies on a circular assumption.12
Hume notes that when we predict future events based on past experience—such as expecting the Sun to rise or fire to produce heat—we assume a principle of the uniformity of nature. However, this principle itself cannot be proven. If one attempts to justify it by pointing out that nature has been uniform in the past, they are merely assuming that the future must resemble the past to validate that very claim. This is a question-begging argument that fails to provide a logical foundation for induction.12
Hume concludes that our belief in causation and the future regularity of nature is not the result of reasoning, but of custom and habit. While we are psychologically compelled to form these expectations, they remain logically unjustified.231