When the Cement of the Universe Breaks Apart. Hume, Causality, and The Leftovers

Abstract

According to David Hume, causation is the strongest of the basic associative principles which “are really to us the cement of the universe”. Yet, Hume also argues that causal relations are nothing but regular connections which have been confirmed so far by our experience but, in principle, might be disproved by further experiences. The cement of the universe might break apart. I will argue that this is precisely what happens in The Leftovers. I will do so by analyzing some exemplary causal links and lacunas that the series represents. Specifically, I will track a minor character, Sam’s mother, through the handful of her appearances along the series, arguing that this character is crucial to understanding the philosophical discourse that The Leftovers develops about causality.