I suppose induction could be questioned in the manner of Descartes'
hyberbolic doubt. There may be real doubt that you will be able to make it
over thin ice as you walk along a pond in the spring but there is no real
doubt that you are there and walking in your parka etc. Whereas Descartes
"doubts" that he is in his dressing gown etc. feeling the warmth of the fire
etc.
Descartes himself points out that he is not in practice going to doubt much
of what he doubts in the Meditations. Going down the road of hyperbolic
doubt gets you to the malevolent demon and deep questions about whether we
might not all be brains in vats. I doubt these questions are of great
practical use as preparation for socialist revolution.
Cheers, Ken Hanly
----- Original Message -----
From: Ted Winslow <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2000 2:07 PM
Subject: [PEN-L:1562] Re: Re: Re: Re: Hume & the Postmodern Grin without
aCat(was Re: pomoistas)
> Ken Hanly wrote:
>
> > Reason is not capable of really questioning
> > induction since reason is powerless against such a natural instinct.
>
> How then is Hume able to question induction?
>
> Ted
> --
> Ted Winslow E-MAIL: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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