Sacrificing Strength in the Best Systems Account

Many Humeans are persuaded by an argument (separately) from Roberts, Lange and Woodward that strength ought not to be sacrificed in the competition for best system because scientific practice does not exhibit such a sacrifice. I here show that Humeans should not be so persuaded. The argument from Roberts, Lange and Woodward misses the fact that scientists can only systematise their experience, whereas the best system must systematise the entire world. However, while my demonstration shows that the argument against sacrificing strength should not have been persuasive in the way it has been, it does raise new and difficult questions for the Humean.