▁argued , ▁und erm ines ▁mel ior ism   – ▁the ▁idea ▁that ▁progress ▁is ▁a ▁real ▁concept ▁leading ▁to ▁improvement ▁in ▁the ▁world . ▁ ▁Free ▁will ▁and ▁views ▁of ▁caus ality ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 7 3 9 , ▁David ▁H ume ▁in ▁his ▁A ▁Tre at ise ▁of ▁Human ▁Nature ▁approached ▁free ▁will ▁via ▁the ▁notion ▁of ▁caus ality . ▁It ▁was ▁his ▁position ▁that ▁caus ality ▁was ▁a ▁mental ▁construct ▁used ▁to ▁explain ▁the ▁repeated ▁association ▁of ▁events , ▁and ▁that ▁one ▁must ▁examine ▁more ▁closely ▁the ▁relation ▁between ▁things ▁regularly ▁succeed ing ▁one ▁another ▁( des cri ptions ▁of ▁regular ity ▁in ▁nature ) ▁and ▁things ▁that ▁result ▁in ▁other ▁things ▁( th ings ▁that ▁cause ▁or ▁necess itate ▁other ▁things ). ▁According ▁to ▁H ume , ▁' ca us ation ' ▁is ▁on ▁weak ▁grounds : ▁" Once ▁we ▁real ise ▁that ▁' A ▁must ▁bring ▁about ▁B ' ▁is ▁tant amount ▁merely ▁to ▁' D ue ▁to ▁their ▁constant ▁conj unction , ▁we ▁are ▁psych olog ically ▁certain ▁that ▁B ▁will ▁follow ▁A ,' ▁then ▁we ▁are ▁left ▁with ▁a ▁very ▁weak ▁notion ▁of ▁necessity ." ▁ ▁This ▁empir ic ist ▁view ▁was ▁often ▁denied ▁by ▁trying ▁to ▁prove ▁the ▁so - called ▁ap riority ▁of ▁caus al ▁law ▁( i . e . ▁that ▁it ▁preced es ▁all ▁experience ▁and ▁is ▁root ed ▁in ▁the ▁construction ▁of ▁the ▁perce iv able ▁world ): ▁ ▁Kant ' s ▁proof ▁in ▁Crit ique ▁of ▁P ure ▁Re