Question

Explain Hume's reasons for questioning the idea of the mind/self.

Answer 1

According to Hume self is not a substance and he asserts the self is a "bundle or collection of different perceptions" as he developed the empirical thesis that knowledge comes through experiences, such as the sensory experiences of the sound, touch or smell. Thus whenever we introspect ourselves what we discover is a bundle of impressions and no substantial entity that can be called the self. Every claim is a factual claim based on our observation, however, true knowledge comes from the generation of ideas. Since ideas cannot go beyond the impressions of the senses, we have no impressions of the mind.