A Treatise of Human Nature

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BOOK I PART III


probability of causes are founded on the trans-
ferring of past to future. The transferring of
any past experiment to the future is sufficient
to give us a view of the object; whether that
experiment be single or combined with others
of the same kind; whether it be entire, or op-
posed by others of a contrary kind. Suppose,
then, it acquires both these qualities of combi-
nation and opposition, it loses not upon that
account its former power of presenting a view
of the object, but only concurs with and op-
poses other experiments, that have a like influ-
ence. A question, therefore, may arise concern-
ing the manner both of the concurrence and op-
position. As to the concurrence, there is only
the choice left betwixt these two hypotheses.
First, That the view of the object, occasioned
by the transference of each past experiment,
preserves itself entire, and only multiplies the

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