Laying Down Hume's Law

Abstract

AbstractMost interpretations of Hume's is/ought passage (THN 3.1.1.27) can be broadly divided into two camps: those thinking Hume to rule out logical inferences from is to ought, and those thinking Hume to only raise surmountable difficulties for inferences from is to ought. I undermine the positive support for both these interpretations, and argue, by drawing parallels with Hume's argument on induction, that Hume's Law instead rules out all forms of inference from is to ought.