Hume’s objection to the ‘causal principle’

Question 1

Q: What is the strength of cosmological arguments from causation?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 1

A: They are based on the causal principle, which states that every event or contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Question 2

Q: What ancient principle supports the causal principle and who originated it?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 2

A: “Ex nihilo nihil fit” (nothing comes from nothing), which goes back to ancient Greeks like Parmenides.

Question 3

Q: How did Parmenides influence later thinkers?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 3

A: Parmenides influenced Aristotle, who in turn influenced Aquinas.

Question 4

Q: Why is it considered absurd for an event to happen without a cause?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 4

A: Because it would mean something could come from nothing.

Question 5

Q: How does William Lane Craig argue for the Kalam cosmological argument?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 5

A: By claiming that the causal principle is “based on the metaphysical intuition that something cannot come out of nothing.”

Question 6

Q: What are the essential pillars of cosmological arguments?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 6

A: The causal principle, arguments against the possibility of infinite regression, and inferences to the divine nature of the ultimate origin of the universe.

Question 7

Q: What is David Hume’s general stance on the causal principle?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 7

A: Hume objects to the causal principle, challenging its necessity and universality.

Question 8

Q: What key question does Hume raise about causation?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 8

A: Whether we can justifiably claim that every event or contingent being must have a cause.

Question 9

Q: How does Hume challenge the causal principle through empirical skepticism?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 9

A: By arguing that our belief in causation is based on habit and experience, not on logical necessity.

Question 10

Q: What does Hume argue about our observation of causation?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 10

A: We never actually observe causation directly, only a constant conjunction of events.

Question 11

Q: What does Hume say about the necessity of causation?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 11

A: The necessity we attribute to causation is a psychological projection, not an inherent property of reality.

Question 12

Q: How does Hume’s critique impact the cosmological argument?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 12

A: It undermines the foundational assumption that every event or contingent being must have a cause.

Question 13

Q: What does Hume suggest about our knowledge of the origins of the universe?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 13

A: We have no experience of the origins of the universe or other worlds, so we cannot apply the causal principle to them.

Question 14

Q: How does Hume’s skepticism extend to metaphysical claims about causation?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 14

A: He suggests that metaphysical claims about causation extend beyond what can be known through experience.

Question 15

Q: What is the broader implication of Hume’s objection for cosmological arguments?

The strength of cosmological arguments from causation is that they are based on the causal principle, which is that every event has a cause, or that every contingent being has a cause of its existence.

Answer 15

A: It challenges the certainty of the causal principle, thereby weakening cosmological arguments that depend on it.

Question 16

Q: What is Hume’s fork and how does it relate to the causal principle?

Weakness: Hume’s objection to the causal principle.

Answer 16

A: Hume’s fork divides propositions into analytic (true by definition) and synthetic (known through experience). Hume argues that the causal principle is not true by definition, so it must be justified on synthetic grounds.

Question 17

Q: Why does Hume argue that the causal principle is not analytic?

Weakness: Hume’s objection to the causal principle.

Answer 17

A: He contends that the idea of an event or thing existing without a cause is conceivable and not obviously self-contradictory, unlike concepts like a four-sided triangle.

Question 18

Q: How does Hume’s objection impact the certainty of the causal principle?

Weakness: Hume’s objection to the causal principle.

Answer 18

A: Claims based on experience (synthetic truths) cannot be known with certainty to be true in all cases. We can only claim that every observed event has a cause, but this does not prove that all events must have a cause.

Question 19

Q: How does Hume’s objection challenge the cosmological argument?

Weakness: Hume’s objection to the causal principle.

Answer 19

A: The cosmological argument assumes that the universe has a cause, but Hume’s objection suggests that the universe could exist without a cause, weakening the argument’s premise.

Question 20

Q: What evidence from modern theoretical physics supports Hume’s objection?

Weakness: Hume’s objection to the causal principle.

Answer 20

A: Lawrence Krauss and Alan Guth propose that the universe has zero total energy and could have come from nothing, aligning with Hume’s suggestion that the universe may exist without a cause.

Question 21

Q: What implications does Hume’s objection have for the certainty of metaphysical claims?

Weakness: Hume’s objection to the causal principle.

Answer 21

A: It undermines the certainty of metaphysical claims based on experience, highlighting the limitations of applying synthetic truths universally.

Question 22

Q: How does Hume’s objection challenge the traditional understanding of causation?

Weakness: Hume’s objection to the causal principle.

Answer 22

A: It challenges the traditional understanding that every event must have a cause, suggesting that causation may not be a necessary feature of reality.

Question 23

Q: What broader impact does Hume’s objection have on philosophical inquiry?

Weakness: Hume’s objection to the causal principle.

Answer 23

A: It encourages skepticism about foundational principles like the causal principle, prompting philosophers to reevaluate their epistemological assumptions.

Question 24

Q: What are the key components of Hume’s argument against the causal principle?

Weakness: Hume’s objection to the causal principle.

Answer 24

A: Hume argues that the causal principle cannot be justified analytically and is only known synthetically through experience. He contends that claims based on experience lack certainty and that the universe may exist without a cause.

Question 25

Q: How does Hume’s objection challenge the traditional basis of cosmological arguments?

Weakness: Hume’s objection to the causal principle.

Answer 25

A: It challenges the assumption that the universe must have a cause, weakening the foundational premise of cosmological arguments for the existence of God.

Question 26

Question: What is a possible defense of the cosmological argument regarding the universality of the causal principle

Evaluation defending the cosmological argument:

Answer 26

Answer: One possible defense is to argue that the universality of the causal principle is justified through induction.

Question 27

Question: How is the empirical basis of the causal principle defended?

Evaluation defending the cosmological argument:

Answer 27

Answer: Advocates argue that we have experienced many causal interactions, all of which involved the constant conjunction of cause and effect

Question 28

Question: What inference can be made from the observed causal interactions?

Evaluation defending the cosmological argument:

Answer 28

Answer: From these observations, it can be inferred that all effects have a cause.

Question 29

Question: What is the empirical justification for accepting the causal principle?

Evaluation defending the cosmological argument:

Answer 29

Answer: The evidence from repeated observations suggests that the causal principle always holds, providing empirical justification for accepting it.

Question 30

Question: What criticism challenges the empirical justification of the causal principle in the cosmological argument

Evaluation criticizing the cosmological argument:

Answer 30

Answer: The criticism argues that we cannot be empirically justified in holding the causal principle because all evidence for it comes from observations within the universe.

Question 31

Question: How does the criticism address the relevance of empirical evidence?

Evaluation criticizing the cosmological argument:

Answer 31

Answer: It suggests that the conditions under which the universe came to exist could be radically different from anything observed within the universe, making empirical justification unreliable.

Question 32

Question: What is the main objection to assuming the universality of the causal principle?

Evaluation criticizing the cosmological argument:

Answer 32

Answer: The objection highlights the uncertainty in assuming that the observed causal interactions within the universe apply to the conditions of the universe’s origin.