Papers by Donald E Sievert
Philosophical Studies, 1974
Hume allegedly raised a problem about induction: predictions are unwarranted because experience a... more Hume allegedly raised a problem about induction: predictions are unwarranted because experience and reason provide inadequate foundations for them. 1 Experience cannot be used to justify predictions without circularity: in predicting, we must assume the future will resemble the past, yet in predicting one is, in effect, attempting to establish this resemblance, Reason (demonstration) cannot justify predictions because there is no contradiction in saying things behaved in certain ways until now and will behave differently in the future. According to this view, the amount of information about past and present is irrelevant to our right to predict. Even complete information is insufficient to warrant prediction. 2 However, reexamination of texts reveals that Hume's worry was often different and, not surprisingly, closely tied to other aspects of his philosophy, His worry about predictions can be tied to his scepticism about 'secret powers' or, more generally, unobservable entities. I shall argue that an important Humean point was that we never do or can have complete information about past and present because we are ignorant of 'secret powers', and that it is this ignorance which can render prediction precarious.
Southwest Philosophy Review, 1990
Southwest Philosophy Review, 1994
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Papers by Donald E Sievert