David Hume and Mary Wollstonecraft may have possibly agreed on many points but on one they would have definitely disagreed. David Hume asserted in An Inquiry of Human Understanding that, “that though our conclusions from experience carry us beyond our memory and senses…some fact must always be present to the senses or memory, from which we may first proceed in drawing these conclusions” (Hume). In short, everything we accept to be or assume to be true at the ground level originates from some fact. Wollstonecraft in would have disagreed with this conclusion. In A Vindication of the Rights of Women she states, “…it seems almost impertinent to attempt to illustrate truths that appear so incontrovertible; yet such deeply rooted prejudices have clouded reason…” (Wollstonecraft). Her point would have been that the current and accepted stance on the rights of women have clouded reason and could by no means be based on fact.
Following is a possible conversation between Hume and Wollstonecraft that may have taken place at a philosophical debate similar to a presidential debate on the merit of the current rights and opinions concerning women’s rights in late 1700s.
Hume: “I attest that in order to protect the innocence of women we must keep them from positions in public office and from our universities.”
Wollstonecraft: “Protect our innocence! For what reason or basis do you make the assumption that our innocence needs to be protected?”
Hume: “It has been accepted since before any of our memories that the rights and status of women come secondary to men for their own good and for the good of society.”
Wollstonecraft: “Where is YOUR factual basis for this acceptance, and who get to quantify what is good and just for women and for society?”
Hume: “As I stated, these practices have been accepted since before our memories. And although a factual basis may not be readily known, the practice is so ingrained our forefathers must have established it on fact.”
Wollstonecraft: “I would argue that this assumption is not based on fact and has clouded reason that is evident everyday in today’s society.”
Hume: “Examples…”
Wollstonecraft: “Just look around! Take today and this moment for example. Did you ever think this morning when you woke up that you would be stuck between a rock and a hard place in a debate with a woman?”
Hume: “Humph?”
Hume, David. “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding.” Ecampus.uwyo.edu. 1748. 16 October 2011.
Wollstonecraft, Mary. “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.” Bartleby. Bartleby. 1792. Web. 16 October 2011.
Nice graphics, but was Hume's claim meant to initiate inquiry into "the habits of subjectivity" so that people would not mistakenly arrive at conclusions that did not have facts?
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