Q&A: The Problem of Induction
The Problem of Induction
Question
Happy holidays!
1. Does the problem of induction according to Hume only claim that we do not know what cause produced the phenomenon before our eyes, or does it also claim that there is no causality at all? My understanding was that we simply do not necessarily know the correct cause, but it is clear that there is deterministic causality. Is that correct?
2. If so, is there anyone who argued that there is no causality at all?
3. I don’t really understand Hume’s problem, because even if we do not know the absolute cause, it should still be enough for us to rely on that in terms of how we act in practice (since seemingly the whole purpose of science is to enable us to act in reality, and what difference does it make if this is not the ultimate truth)?
Thank you very much!
Answer
We have no way of knowing whether there is causality in the world at all, whether there is always a cause, and even in a particular case whether there is a causal relation between event A and event B.
Discussion on Answer
The reliability of a scientific theory is not based on the explanatory power it has regarding events that happened in the past, but on the predictions about the future that follow from it.
And there are already theories that allow for the entire universe to be destroyed in the next moment, so there is no problem of induction at all, only a problem of excessive optimism.
If there is no cause, then why does it happen? Isn’t that assuming something comes from nothing?
The Rabbi didn’t answer the first and second question?