An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

“It is certain that the easy and obvious philosophy will always, with the generality of mankind, have the preference above the accurate and abstruse […]”

Hume notes what most Enlightenment philosophers have focused on: the difference between the enlightened few and the largely ignorant masses. Hume points out that the philosophical system that gives the simplest, clearest answers will always be preferred by the common person to an opaque or complicated system, even if it ends up being true. People usually prefer simple and erroneous to complex and authentic.

“[I]n every art or profession, even those which most concern life or action, that a spirit of accuracy, however acquired, carries all of them nearer their perfection […]”

Hume remarks on the complexities of genuine philosophy and gives the reason for pursuing such an endeavor. One would pursue philosophy even when it is difficult or complex to achieve ever greater perfection. Every activity worth doing is worth doing well, and perfection is pursued in every industry. In philosophy, Hume wants to be as precise and accurate as possible so as to carry him closer to perfection than ever before.

“It is remarkable concerning the operations of the mind, that, though most intimately present to us, yet, whenever they become the object of reflection, they seem involved in obscurity […]”

Certain complex things make sense when we are not thinking about them, but immediately become unintelligible when we focus on them. For example, everyone understands the concept of time when they aren’t thinking about it, but one would be hard-pressed to give an accurate and illuminating explanation of it.