Page "An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding" Paragraph 25

Here Hume tackles the problem of how liberty may be reconciled with metaphysical necessity ( otherwise known as a compatibilist formulation of free will ).

Hume believes that all disputes on the subject have been merely verbal arguments — that is to say, arguments which are based on a lack of prior agreement on definitions.

He first shows that it is clear that most events are deterministic, but human actions are more controversial.

However, he thinks that these too occur out of necessity since an outside observer can see the same regularity that he would in a purely physical system.

To show the compatibility of necessity and liberty, Hume defines liberty as the ability to act on the basis of one's will e. g. the capacity to will one's actions but not to will one's will.

He then shows ( quite briefly ) how determinism and free will are compatible notions, and have no bad consequences on ethics or moral life.