Comparing Hume's Argument On Liberty And Necessity

According to Hume, despite appearances, everyone really does agree about the problem of liberty and necessity. In this essay I shall discuss the basis of Hume's argument, which I posit rests upon his views on necessary connection. That is, our notion of necessary connection comes about through the observation of the constant conjunction of objects and events, from which we infer causal relationships. Furthermore, Hume applies his view of necessity to human nature and behaviour, and asserts that, despite what they may say, all people carry out their lives in a manner which indicates a convergent belief in necessity, both in unintelligent objects and humans. Finally, I shall evaluate Hume's compatibilist position, as presented in the Enquiry,

Hume is adamant that we are unable, in a single instance, to uncover a power or necessary connection in nature (Hume 1993: 41). For example, although we may experience events, such as one billiard ball impacting another, and the latter moving, we are not provided with anything that suggests a necessary connection (Hume 1993: 41-42). In such cases, we merely infer a casual relationship between the two objects, and it is through repeated experience that the objects are conjoined in our minds, giving rise to inferences about similar future events (Hume 1993: 44-46). For Hume, this is solely the “customary transition of the imagination from one object to its usual attendant” which is “the sentiment or impression from which we form the idea of power or necessary connexion” (Hume 1993: 50). Importantly, although we cannot know necessary connection in the world, nature is typically uniform, and we are accustomed to its regularity. Subsequently, we behave and navigate our way through the world, including our relationships with others, in such a manner that shows our reliance on such uniformity and our ability to make inferences about the future. Indeed, it is universally held “that matter, in all its operations, is actuated by a necessary force, and that every natural effect is so precisely determined by the energy of its cause, that no other effect, in

For Hume, a historical study of human nature will reveal that people across vastly different times, and from greatly different places, will be similarly motivated (Hume 1993: 55-56). We would, Hume asserts, never accept from a traveller, descriptions of people in far off countries that significantly contradicted our own experiences of human behaviours, or of stories of individuals who are motivated in ways that are wholly uncommon in our own societies. In fact, Hume suggests that such accounts would be treated as fairy-tales, and we would reject the story-teller as an outright liar (Hume 1993: 56). Uniformity of human nature is what allows us to successfully interact with others, and importantly, it is what underpins the functioning of society. For instance, the farmer who grows his vegetables can, through past experience, infer that in taking his produce to market and offering them at a reasonable price, others will be inclined to purchase them, thus rendering the farmer's plans of supporting his life a success, plans which were based on the uniform behaviour and motivations of human beings (Hume 1993: 59). Furthermore, examples such as this highlight the mutual dependence of humans upon one another, and the importance of the continuation of their predictable behaviours. That is, individuals use their past experiences of human interaction to understand and anticipate the