68 HUME i 



pointing out that a knowledge of the infirmities 

 of the human understanding, even in its most per- 

 fect state, and when most accurate and cautious 

 in its determinations, is the best check upon the 

 tendency to dogmatism, Hume continues: 



"Another species of mitigated scepticism, which may be 

 of advantage to mankind, and which may be the natural 

 result of the PYRRHONIAN doubts and scruples, is the limita- 

 tion of our inquiries to such subjects as are best adapted to 

 the narrow capacity of human understanding. The imagi- 

 nation of man is naturally sublime, delighted with what- 

 ever is remote and extraordinary, and running, without 

 control, into the most distant parts of space and time in 

 order to avoid the objects which custom has rendered too 

 familiar to it. A correct judgment observes a contrary 

 method, and, avoiding all distant and high inquiries, con- 

 fines itself to common life, and to such subjects as fall 

 under daily practice and experience ; leaving the more sub- 

 lime topics to the embellishment of poets and orators, or to 

 the arts of priests and politicians. To bring us to so salu- 

 tary a determination, nothing can be more serviceable than 

 to be once thoroughly convinced of the force of the PYR- 

 RHONIAN doubt, and of the impossibility that anything but 

 the strong power of natural instinct could free us from it. 

 Those who have a propensity to philosophy will still con- 

 tinue their researches; because they reflect, that, besides 

 the immediate pleasure attending such an occupation, philo- 

 sophical decisions are nothing but the reflections of com- 

 mon life, methodised and corrected. But they will never be 

 tempted to go beyond common life, so long as they consider 

 the imperfection of those faculties which they employ, their 

 narrow reach and their inaccurate operations. While we 

 cannot give a satisfactory reason why we believe, after a 

 thousand experiments, that a stone will fall or fire burn ; 

 can we ever satisfy ourselves concerning any determination 



