Matters of Fact and Relations of Ideas

Topic

Matters of Fact and Relations of Ideas

Instructions

Explain the distinction Hume makes between Relations of Ideas and Matters of Fact. Which of the two categories does a sentence like “the sun will rise tomorrow” fall under? Explain. Why doesn’t Hume think we can rationally believe that “the sun will rise tomorrow” or that “if you kick a ball, the ball will move”?

Answer preview

As David Hume postulates, a distinction has to be drawn between “matters of fact” and “relations of ideas”. As he asserts, relations of ideas represent indestructible bonds that have been created between ideas (Bailey 67). This implies that all statements that are logically true fall under relations of ideas. Concisely, relations of ideas are demonstrably certain, a fact that makes them intuitive. When such a proposition is denied, it implies a contradiction. Matters of fact, as Hume posits, deal with experience. Examples include statements like “the sun is shining”. Unlike relations of ideas that are a priori, matters of fact are learned a posteriori.

Word count: 662