A Treatise of Human Nature · Chapter
Section I: Of the Infinite Divisibility of Our Ideas of Space and Time explained
Hume begins his examination of space and time by addressing the doctrine of infinite divisibility.
What happens
Hume begins his examination of space and time by addressing the doctrine of infinite divisibility. He argues that the mind's capacity is limited and cannot conceive of infinity, and that our ideas of finite qualities are not infinitely divisible but consist of simple and indivisible parts. He illustrates this with examples such as a grain of sand and a spot of ink, asserting that our senses and imagination reach a minimum, and that apparent complexity is due to the limitations of our perception, not the nature of objects.
Themes in this chapter
Empiricism and the Primacy of Impressions
Hume grounds his argument in the limits of sensory impressions and the idea of a minimum perceptible, emphasizing empirical observation.
Skepticism About the External World
Hume challenges common assumptions about the nature of objects, suggesting that our perceptions may not accurately represent their true divisibility.
Characters to notice
- David Hume
Author and narrator, presenting his argument against infinite divisibility.
Key passages
“Whatever has the air of a paradox, and is contrary to the first and most unprejudiced notions of mankind, is often greedily embraced by philosophers, as showing the superiority of their science, which could discover opinions so remote from vulgar conception.”
Philosophers are often drawn to ideas that seem paradoxical and go against common sense, because they believe such ideas demonstrate the power of their science to uncover truths far from ordinary understanding.
Hume critiques the philosophical tendency to favor paradox over common sense.
“It is therefore certain, that the imagination reaches a minimum, and may raise up to itself an idea, of which it cannot conceive any subdivision, and which cannot be diminished without a total annihilation.”
The imagination has a limit: it can form an idea so simple that it cannot be divided further, and any attempt to reduce it would destroy it entirely.
Hume asserts the existence of indivisible simple ideas.
“Put a spot of ink upon paper, fix your eye upon that spot, and retire to such a distance, that, at last you lose sight of it; it is plain, that the moment before it vanished the image or impression was perfectly indivisible.”
If you place a spot of ink on paper and move away until it disappears, just before it vanishes, the impression you have of it is a single, indivisible unit.
Hume uses a sensory example to illustrate the minimum perceptible impression.