Observing the world around you depends on a lot more than your five senses. A  short overview of David Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding explains the ways sense perception influence the exchange of complex thought in the human brain, and how it relates to larger philosophical issues.

Concepts

philosophers, the five senses, logical reasoning, human nature, making observations

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Feature the video in a philosophy class when discussing empiricism
• Conduct an experiment like the clay sandwich example from the video; have learners make observations about an item and then record the new ideas that arise during the process

Classroom Considerations

• You can skip the short advertisement in the beginning of the video
• Comment section is open to the public
• Refer to the publisher's website for a more thorough analysis of the text, which is available with a paid subscription or free trial

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Incorporates the metaphor of a child playing with clay to illustrate a complex topic

Cons

• None

Common Core

RH.9-10.2 RH.9-10.9 RH.11-12.2 RH.11-12.9