自16世纪起,经验主义与理性主义的争论再次爆发。理性主义在当时长期处于统治地位,但也逐渐暴露出一些问题。理性主义者强调唯有理性推理才能提供确实的知识体系,认为感觉经验不可靠,甚至极端地否认科学的可能性,这引发了一些哲学家对其的反思与质疑,促使休谟等哲学家从新的角度去思考知识的来源与确定性等问题。到18世纪的苏格兰启蒙运动则强调理性、科学和人文精神,鼓励人们运用理性去探究自然、社会和人类自身。在这样的文化氛围中,休谟受到了启发和激励,他的哲学研究也体现了对人类理性和知识的深入探索,试图以更加科学和理性的方式来理解人类的认知、情感和道德等方面。From the 16th century onwards, the debate between empiricism and rationalism broke out again. Rationalism was dominant for a long time at that time, but it also gradually exposed some problems. Rationalists emphasize that only rational reasoning can provide a definite system of knowledge, hold that sensory experience is not reliable, and even deny the possibility of science in an extreme way, which causes some philosophers to reflect on and question it, prompting philosophers such as Hume to think about the source and certainty of knowledge from a new angle. By the 18th century, the Scottish Enlightenment emphasized reason, science and humanity, and encouraged people to use reason to explore nature, society and human beings. In this cultural atmosphere, Hume was inspired and inspired, and his philosophical research also reflected the in-depth exploration of human reason and knowledge, trying to understand human cognition, emotion and moral aspects in a more scientific and rational way.
