Causality is inferred from experience from "summary" of A Treatise of Human Nature: Texts by David Hume
When we look back on the past and reflect on our experiences, we often make connections between events that seem to be causally related. For example, when we see a billiard ball strike another ball and set it in motion, we assume that the first ball caused the second ball to move. This idea of causality is fundamental to our understanding of the world around us. However, upon closer examination, we realize that we cannot actually perceive causality itself. We only observe one event followed by another and infer a causal relationship between them. This inference is based on our past experiences and the regularity with which certain events seem to be conjoined. Our belief in causality, therefore, is not the result of reason or rational intuition. Instead, it is a habit of thought that arises from our repeated observations of the constant conjunction of certain events. When we see smoke, we expect fire. When the sun rises, we expect daylight. These associations become so ingrained in our minds that we come to expect certain outcomes based on the presence of certain antecedent conditions. This reliance on experience to infer causality has important implications for our understanding of the world. It means that our knowledge of causality is limited to what we have observed in the past. We cannot know with certainty what will happen in the future, as we have not yet experienced those events. Our beliefs about causality are always provisional, subject to revision based on new experiences. In this way, our understanding of causality is grounded in empirical observation and inference. We do not have direct access to causal relationships, but instead rely on our past experiences to make sense of the world. This approach highlights the importance of humility in our quest for knowledge, as we recognize the limits of our understanding and the fallibility of our beliefs.
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