Page "An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding" Paragraph 28

True to his empirical thesis, Hume tells the reader that, though testimony does have some force, it is never quite as powerful as the direct evidence of the senses.

That said, he provides some reasons why we may have a basis for trust in the testimony of persons: because a ) human memory can be relatively tenacious ; and b ) because people are inclined to tell the truth, and ashamed of telling falsities.

Needless to say, these reasons are only to be trusted to the extent that they conform to experience.

( Hume 1974: 389 )