Human Understanding - Thomas hobbes Flashcards
When did Hobbes live?
1588-1679
What type of reasoning did he promote?
Deductive reasoning instead of inductive - this provides secure knowledge.
What view did he share with Descartes?
Knowledge should be based on certain indisputable principles.
How did he use deduction to support strong monarchy?
P1 - All men are born bad.
P2 - Napoleon was a bad Emperor.
C - He was bad because all men are born bad, not because of the system.
What were his criticisms of Bacon’s inductive method?
- It’s too experimental.
- Never provides irrefutable knowledge.
- An element of doubt can always exist when some observed facts cannot be explained.
What are the features of deduction?
- Apply existing rules.
- Testing of propositions.
- Used preconceived theories.
- Facts collected to prove a theory.
What are the features of induction?
- Use of observation.
- No use of preconceived theories.
- Collection of facts.
- Relies on evidence.
- Theories emerge from observed facts.
What does Hobbes being a materialist mean?
Everything is created by matter - no room for the supernatural or magic.
Contributed to a decline after 1660.
What does Hobbes believe about unusual phenomena?
They have never been proven to go against the laws of nature.
Eg, possession = madness or epilepsy.
What shows that he had a long-lasting effect?
His views were popular in the early 18th century.
Who did he most likely influence?
Balthasar Bekker
John Holt
John Webster
How were Hobbes beliefs destructive for established beliefs of the time?
Arguments for the supernatural weren’t deductively valid.
