"The real question is: Do any number of cases of a law being fulfilled in the past afford evidence that it will be fulfilled in the future? If not, it becomes plain that we have no ground whatever for expecting the sun to rise to-morrow, or for expecting the bread we shall eat at our next meal not to poison us, or for any of the other scarcely conscious expectations that control our daily lives. It is to be observed that all such expectations are only probable; thus we have not to seek for a proof that they must be fulfilled, but only for some reason in favor of the view that they are likely to be fulfilled."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Problems_of_Philosophy
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
The Problems of Philosophy
125 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by The Problems of Philosophy →
Related Quotes
"The painter has to unlearn the habit of thinking that things seem to have the colour which common sense says they 're…"
"It is evident from what we have found, that there is no colour which preeminently appears to be the colour of the tab…"
"The same thing applies to the texture. With the naked eye one can see the grain, but otherwise the table looks smooth…"
"The shape of the table is no better. We are all in the habit of judging as to the 'real' shapes of things, and we do …"
"Similar difficulties arise when we consider the sense of touch. It is true that the table always gives us a sensation…"
"Thus it becomes evident that the real table, if there is one, is not the same as what we immediately experience by si…"
"If we cannot be sure of the independent existence of objects, we cannot be sure of the independent existence of other…"
"It may be that the whole outer world is nothing but a dream, and that we alone exist. This is an uncomfortable possib…"
"Give the name of 'sense-data' to the things that are immediately known in sensation: such things as colours, sounds, …"
"Is there any knowledge in the world which is so certain that no reasonable man could doubt it? This question, which a…"