A Treatise of Human Nature · Chapter
Part III: Of Knowledge and Probability explained
This chapter explores the nature of knowledge and probability, distinguishing between intuitive and demonstrative knowledge, and examining the foundations of causal reasoning and belief.
What happens
This chapter explores the nature of knowledge and probability, distinguishing between intuitive and demonstrative knowledge, and examining the foundations of causal reasoning and belief.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In Part II, the dramatic climax occurs when Hume systematically dismantles the direct, simple origin of love a…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Empiricism and the Primacy of Impressions
The chapter grounds knowledge in impressions and ideas, emphasizing the role of experience in forming beliefs.
- Custom and General Rules
The chapter discusses how belief arises from custom and habit, and how general rules influence our judgments.
Characters to notice
- David Hume
The author and primary philosophical voice, presenting arguments on knowledge, probability, and causation.
- Mr. Locke
Referenced as a philosopher whose views on abstract ideas are critiqued.
Key passages
“All kinds of reasoning consist in nothing but a comparison, and a discovery of those relations, which either two or more objects bear to each other.”
All reasoning is essentially about comparing objects and finding the relations between them.
This establishes the foundation for Hume's analysis of knowledge and probability.
“A probability arising from a superiority of chances on any side, is denominated the probability of chances; and that arising from the superiority of causes on any side, is denominated the probability of causes.”
Probability can be based on the number of chances or on the strength of causes.
This distinguishes two types of probability, which is central to the chapter's discussion.
