By: Ken Norris and Dane Sandt Kant vs. Hume By: Ken Norris and Dane Sandt

Metaphysics The two philosophers covered are Immanuel Kant and David Hume, both major figures in Philosophy. Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that pertains to the ultimate characteristics of reality or existence.

David Hume A skeptical thinker and empiricist, Hume believed all knowledge was gained through direct sense experience. There is no self, there are only the identities known as impressions and ideas. The “self” is an illusion created by man to keep themselves from going insane.

Immanuel Kant Combined the opposing schools of thought, empiricism and rationalism, and showed they were both vital in obtaining knowledge and understanding the world. The self is the controlling force that organizes random sense data that floods into the mind. Started a “Copernican Revolution” in philosophy, ushering in modern philosophy, setting the groundwork for almost all modern philosophy and science.

Similarities Both to some degree believed knowledge was gained through sense experience, Hume more so than Kant. Both were massive figures in the Enlightenment era , though they mostly had opposing views.

Differences Kant and Hume differed on the drive of morality, Kant believed reason drove morality while Hume believed emotion did so. Hume was a very skeptical thinker with a noticeably negative attitude toward the human race, while Kant had a much more optimistic philosophical view. Kant used the a priori method while Hume was very empiricist and experimental in his method.

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