Final answer:
In David Hume's philosophy, the contents of the mind can be simplified to impressions derived from the senses and experience, aligning with an empiricist viewpoint where knowledge is grounded in sense perception.
Step-by-step explanation:
In David Hume's philosophy, all the contents of our mind are reduced to what is provided through the senses and experience. He refers to these as impressions, which are the basic units of our thought and constitute the content of the knowledge of reality. According to Hume, we have no ideas without sense impressions, and he believes that reasoning a priori does not lead to knowledge, as our perceptions are not proof of an external independent reality. This aligns with an empiricist view, where common sense is understood as specific claims based on direct sense perception.
Hume argued that the continuity we experience in our identity is not due to an enduring self but due to the mind's ability to act as a theater where various perceptions make their appearance. Therefore, our understanding of the world and ourselves is deeply rooted in empirical knowledge, shaped by these impressions that the senses provide. This stands in contrast to the idea of innate ideas or a priori knowledge and emphasises the importance of empirical evidence in forming our understanding of reality.