Final answer:
The statement "There are no ideas apart from impressions" is from philosopher David Hume, who believed all knowledge derives from sensory experience, rather than innate ideas or rational deductions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phrase "There are no ideas apart from impressions" is attributed to the Scottish philosopher David Hume. Hume was a pivotal figure in the Scottish Enlightenment and is well-regarded for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He famously argued that human knowledge arises only from sensory experience and that all the contents of the mind are ultimately derived from our impressions, which he considered to be lively and vivid sensations as opposed to ideas, which are merely less vivid copies of these original impressions.
Hume's assertion that there are no ideas without sense impressions forms part of his broader argument against the rationalists of his time, who posited that certain concepts could be known through reasoning alone, independent of sensory experience. David Hume's skepticism led him to question the existence of objective reality beyond our perceptions, though he acknowledged that doing so was not practical for everyday life. By denying the existence of innate ideas and instead positing that all knowledge comes from impressions, Hume's philosophy emphasizes the foundational role of empirical experience.