David Hume Belief Vs Fiction Essay

David Hume insightful work, titled An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, delves into the topic of belief VS fiction. According to Hume, belief can be described as “matters of fact derived from objects, memories, or customary conjunctions” (Hume 30). However, fiction can be described as judgments based on the imagination (Hume 32). Belief is based on impressions and past experiences. Fiction is a concoction of various factors that someone has yet to experience; therefore, it can be described as imagination.
To begin with, one quote from Hume is that “the most lively thought is still inferior to the dullest sensation” (Hume 10). This phrase is synonymous with Hume’s opinion that someone’s impressions are vivacious and naturalistic due to the fact that the person can recollect an instance when the impression occurred. However, an idea, or fiction, can never be fully comprehended if someone has not experienced it firsthand. Hume also defines belief as “something felt by the mind” (Hume 32). With this being said, an example is presented: peer 1 has never flown in an airplane before. Despite the
Customs help people distinguish the relation between actions and their consequences (Hume 29). One example Hume provides is that children learn that a flame will burn based on conditioning of customs, and not from reasoning. Perhaps he could have imagined that the flame would feel squishy and cold, which would be categorized as fiction according Hume. However, once the child experienced the searing pain of the flame first-hand, he’s conditioning of customs would begin to form. Therefore, when the child goes to touch a flame again, he can recall the specific instance when he was burned, turning this thought into a belief. Therefore, customs are the crucial link between what allows people to separate reality from