3. uniformity of nature ความสม่ำเสมอของธรรมชาติ
The principle of the uniformity
of nature maintains that the same basic patterns
or laws are found throughout nature; the
future will be like the past, at least in terms of the
basic operations of nature; and more generally
the unexamined parts of nature will be like the
parts that have been examined up to a certain
point. This principle seems to underlie the use of
past experience to form expectations about the
future, but, according to Hume, it isn’t itself susceptible
of proof. The principle is discussed by
Hume and Hempel; Goodman’s new riddle of
induction poses a puzzle about how this principle
is to be understood.