PHIL 4000: Problems from Hume

University of Minnesota, Morris
Spring 2011
Professor Collier
Tu Th 2:00-3:40
Imholte 202

Course Description: David Hume is widely regarded as the greatest philosopher to ever write in the English language. This course examines the problems that Hume raised concerning our theoretical beliefs about the world. Topics include: induction, causation, laws of nature, free will, and miracles, intelligent design, and evil. We will also investigate the responses that contemporary analytic philosophers have offered to each of these problems.

Course Requirements: Evaluation will be based upon class participation (30%), short "position papers" on each problem (40%), and a final paper (30%). The primary text is Hume's Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding, which is available at the campus bookstore. Additional readings are available on JSTOR or on e-reserve at Briggs library.

Course Syllabus

PROBLEM #1: INDUCTION

Induction I

Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Sections 4 and 5

Induction II

Russell: “On Induction”
Edwards: “Russell's Doubts About Induction”

Induction III

Black: “Inductive Support of Inductive Rules"

Induction IV

Salmon: "The Problem of Induction"

PROBLEM #2: CAUSATION

Causation I

Hume: Treatise, 1.3.14
Garrett: "Hume"

Causation II

Mackie: "Causal Regularities"

Causation III

Lewis: “Causation”

Causation IV

Beebee: "Does Anything Hold the Universe Together?"

PROBLEM #3: UNIVERSALS

Universals I

Hume: "Of Abstract Ideas"
Russell: "World of Universals"

Universals II

Price: “Universals and Resemblances”

Universals III

Armstrong: "Universals as Attributes"

Universals IV

Williams: "Elements of Being"

PROBLEM #4: LAWS OF NATURE

Laws of Nature I

Kneale: “Natural Laws and Contrary-to-Fact Conditionals”
Molnar: "Kneale's Argument Revisited"

Laws of Nature II

Ayer: “What is a law of nature?”

Laws of Nature III

Armstrong: "Laws of Nature as Relations Between Universals"

Laws of Nature IV

Beebee:"The Non-Governing Conception of Laws of Nature"

PROBLEM #5: FREE WILL

Free Will I

Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section 8
Ayer: "Freedom and Necessity"

Free Will II

Van Inwagen: "An Argument for Incompatibilism"
Lewis: "Are We Free to Break the Laws?"

Free Will III

Beebee and Mele: "Humean Compatibilism"

Free Will IV

Strawson: "Freedom and Resentment"

PROBLEM #6: MIRACLES

Miracles I

Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section 10, 169-174
Mackie: “Miracles and Testimony”

Miracles II

Swinburne: “Miracles”

Miracles III

Price: "On the Importance of Christianity and the Nature of Historical Evidence, and Miracles"
Cohen: "Can Human Irrationality Be Experimentally Demonstrated?" (pp. 150-152)

Miracles IV

Earman: Hume's Abject Failure (Selections)
Fogelin: A Defense of Hume on Miracles (Selections)

PROBLEM #7: EVIL

Evil I

Hume: Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Section 10
Pike: "Hume on Evil"

Evil II

Hume: Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Section 11
Rowe et al.: "Is Evil Evidence against Belief in God?", 3-13

Evil III

Rowe et al.: "Is Evil Evidence against Belief in God?", 13-29