Meeting Objections to the Idealist Interpretation

In this chapter, I contend with several objections to the Idealist interpretation of the belief about “bodies” Hume ascribes to us. I show that its seeming absurdity is dispelled when we note that Hume’s account of meaning allows for ignorance about the meaning of terms; that initial appearances notwithstanding, the interpretation comports well with Hume’s distinction between perceptions and objects and between an External and an Internal World; that the interpretation does not, as some have claimed, render Hume dogmatic. I note one recalcitrant objection, but conclude that overall, the Idealist interpretation is much more plausible than its Materialist rival.