Download or read book How To Read Hume written by Simon Blackburn and published by Granta Books. This book was released on 2014-10-02 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Be a philosopher; but, amidst all your philosophy, be still a man.' David Hume David Hume is generally recognized as the United Kingdom's greatest philosopher, as well as a notable historian and essayist and a central figure of the Enlightenment. Yet his work is delicately poised between scepticism and naturalism, between despair at the limited powers of the mind and optimism at the progress we can make by understanding it. This difficult balancing act has given rise to a multitude of different interpretations: reading Hume has never been free of controversy. In this new approach to his writings, Simon Blackburn describes how Hume can be considered one of the earliest, and most successful, evolutionary psychologists, weaving plausible natural accounts of the way we should think of ourselves and of how we have come to be what we are.
Download or read book Custom and Reason in Hume written by Henry E. Allison and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2010-09-02 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Henry Allison examines the central tenets of Hume's epistemology and cognitive psychology, as contained in the Treatise of Human Nature. Allison takes a distinctive two-level approach. On the one hand, he considers Hume's thought in its own terms and historical context. So considered, Hume is viewed as a naturalist, whose project in the first three parts of the first book of the Treatise is to provide an account of the operation of the understanding in which reason is subordinated to custom and other non-rational propensities. Scepticism arises in the fourth part as a form of metascepticism, directed not against first-order beliefs, but against philosophical attempts to ground these beliefs in the "space of reasons." On the other hand, Allison provides a critique of these tenets from a Kantian perspective. This involves a comparison of the two thinkers on a range of issues, including space and time, causation, existence, induction, and the self. In each case, the issue is seen to turn on a contrast between their underlying models of cognition. Hume is committed to a version of the perceptual model, according to which the paradigm of knowledge is a seeing with the "mind's eye" of the relation between mental contents. By contrast, Kant appeals to a discursive model in which the fundamental cognitive act is judgment, understood as the application of concepts to sensory data, Whereas regarded from the first point of view, Hume's account is deemed a major philosophical achievement, seen from the second it suffers from a failure to develop an adequate account of concepts and judgment.
Download or read book Reading Hume on Human Understanding written by Peter Millican and published by Clarendon Press. This book was released on 2002-03-14 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reading Hume on Human Understanding is a companion to the study of one of the great works of Western philosophy. The aims of the volume are: to provide a general overview of Hume's Enquiry on Human Understanding, in the context of Hume's philosophical work as a whole; to elucidate, analyse, and assess the philosophy of the Enquiry; and to discuss recent developments in Hume scholarship. The eminent contributors cover a broad range of topics which remain at the centre of philosophical debate today: meaning, induction, scepticism, belief, personal identity, causation, freedom, miracles, probability, and religious belief.
Download or read book Essays written by DAVID HUME and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2024-01-02 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 18th-century collection of philosophical articles "Essays" was penned by Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume. The essays' broad range of subjects reflects Hume's varied interests in politics, literature, and philosophy. "A Treatise of Human Nature," one of Hume's most important essays, examines human thinking and makes the case for a more sceptical and empirical philosophy. He promotes a study of human nature based on observation and experience, challenging conventional beliefs about causality, identity, and the nature of knowledge. Hume's writing is distinguished by its empiricism, wit, and clarity. His writings, which provide insights into human nature, the basis of knowledge, and the difficulties of moral and aesthetic judgments, continue to have an impact on the domains of philosophy and economics. The compilation offers a thorough understanding of Hume's contributions to philosophy and is still studied because of its significant influence on Western thought.
Download or read book The Essential David Hume written by David Hume and published by Signet Book. This book was released on 1969 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Hume (1711-76) is the most important philosopher ever to have written in English. Although best known for his contributions to epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion, Hume also made substantial and influential contributions to psychology and the philosophy of mind, ethics, the philosophy of science, political and economic theory, political and social history, and, to a lesser extent, aesthetic and literary theory. Of all of Hume's writings, the philosophically most profound is undoubtedly his first, "A Treatise on Human Nature." "Hume on Morality" introduces and assesses: Hume's life and the background of the "Treatise"; the ideas and text in the "Treatise"; and Hume's continuing importance to philosophy.
Download or read book Reading Hume s Dialogues written by William Lad Sessions and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "... establishes the literary and philosophical greatness of the Dialogues in ways that even its warmest admirers have been unable to do before." --Terence Penelhum In this lively reading of David Hume's Dialogues concerning Natural Religion, William Lad Sessions reveals a complex internal hermeneutic that gives new form, structure, and meaning to the work. Linking situations, character, style, and action to the philosophical concepts presented, Sessions finds meaning contained in the work itself and calls attention to the internal connections between plot, character, rhetoric, and philosophy. The result avoids the main preoccupation of previous commentaries, namely, the attempt to establish which of the main characters speaks for Hume. Concentrating on previously unexplored questions of piety and theology, Sessions asks important questions in the philosophy of religion today--what is the nature of true religion, what is the relationship between theology and piety, and how should we actively engage with God?
Download or read book Hume s A Treatise of Human Nature written by John P. Wright and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-11-26 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the development of Hume's ideas and their relation to eighteenth-century theories of the imagination and passions.
Download or read book David Hume written by Terence Penelhum and published by Purdue University Press. This book was released on 1992 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides a general account of the philosophy of David Hume in a way that shows that he is, contrary to common belief, a highly systematic thinker whose thought and personality are closely related. it is also designed to assist the reader to make the most informed use of the rich resources of contemporary Hume scholarship.
Download or read book An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding written by David Hume and published by Standard Ebooks. This book was released on 2024-09-09T19:27:34Z with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A foundational text in empiricism and skepticism, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding comprehensively examines the nature of human cognition, the limits of human knowledge, and the role of reason in understanding the world. Hume argues that our understanding of the world is based on custom, habit, and experience, rather than pure reason or innate knowledge. He challenges the notions of causality, induction, and the concepts of connections between cause and effect, arguing that our understanding of these relationships is based on probability and custom. It lays the groundwork for modern philosophy, emphasizing the importance of empirical evidence and the role of human psychology in shaping our beliefs and understanding of reality. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.
Download or read book The Great Guide written by Julian Baggini and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-05-25 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Invaluable wisdom on living a good life from one of the Enlightenment's greatest philosophers David Hume (1711–1776) is perhaps best known for his ideas about cause and effect and his criticisms of religion, but he is rarely thought of as a philosopher with practical wisdom to offer. Yet Hume's philosophy is grounded in an honest assessment of nature—human nature in particular. The Great Guide is an engaging and eye-opening account of how Hume's thought should serve as the basis for a complete approach to life. In this enthralling book, Julian Baggini masterfully interweaves biography with intellectual history and philosophy to give us a complete vision of Hume's guide to life. He follows Hume on his life's journey, literally walking in the great philosopher's footsteps as Baggini takes readers to the places that inspired Hume the most, from his family estate near the Scottish border to Paris, where, as an older man, he was warmly embraced by French society. Baggini shows how Hume put his philosophy into practice in a life that blended reason and passion, study and leisure, and relaxation and enjoyment. The Great Guide includes 145 Humean maxims for living well, on topics ranging from the meaning of success and the value of travel to friendship, facing death, identity, and the importance of leisure. This book shows how life is far richer with Hume as your guide.
Download or read book Of the passions written by David Hume and published by . This book was released on 1826 with total page 582 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book David Hume A Treatise of Human Nature written by David Fate Norton and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2007-04-19 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David and Mary Norton present the definitive scholarly edition of one of the greatest philosophical works ever written. This first volume contains the critical text of David Hume's Treatise of Human Nature (1739/40), followed by the short Abstract (1740) in which Hume set out the key arguments of the larger work; the volume concludes with A Letter from a Gentleman to his Friend in Edinburgh (1745), Hume's defence of the Treatise when it was under attack from ministers seeking to prevent Hume's appointment as Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.
Download or read book David Hume written by Mark G. Spencer and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2015-06-26 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides a new and nuanced appreciation of David Hume as a historian. Gone for good are the days when one can offhandedly assert, as R. G. Collingwood once did, that Hume “deserted philosophical studies in favour of historical” ones. History and philosophy are commensurate in Hume’s thought and works from the beginning to the end. Only by recognizing this can we begin to make sense of Hume’s canon as a whole and see clearly his many contributions to fields we now recognize as the distinct disciplines of history, philosophy, political science, economics, literature, religious studies, and much else besides. Casting their individual beams of light on various nooks and crannies of Hume’s historical thought and writing, the book’s contributors illuminate the whole in a way that would not be possible from the perspective of a single-authored study. Aside from the editor, the contributors are David Allan, M. A. Box, Timothy M. Costelloe, Roger L. Emerson, Jennifer Herdt, Philip Hicks, Douglas Long, Claudia M. Schmidt, Michael Silverthorne, Jeffrey M. Suderman, Mark R. M. Towsey, and F. L. van Holthoon.
Download or read book Starting with Hume written by Charlotte Randall Brown and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-05-24 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a new introduction to Hume, guiding the student through the key concepts of Hume's work by examining the overall development of his ideas. David Hume is widely regarded as the greatest English thinker in the history of philosophy. His contributions to a huge range of philosophical debates are as important and influential now as they were in the eighteenth century. Covering all the key concepts of his work, Starting with Hume provides an accessible introduction to the ideas of this hugely significant thinker. Clearly structured according to Hume's central ideas, the book leads the reader through a thorough overview of the development of his thought, resulting in a more thorough understanding of the roots of his philosophical concerns. Offering comprehensive coverage of Hume's philosophical method, the book explores his contributions to philosophy of mind, causation, the foundation of ethics, natural virtues and philosophy or religion. Crucially the book introduces the major philosophical movements and thinkers whose work proved influential in the development of Hume's thought, including Nicolas Malebranche, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. This is the ideal introduction for anyone coming to the work of this hugely important thinker for the first time. Continuum's Starting With... series offers clear, concise and accessible introductions to the key thinkers in philosophy. The books explore and illuminate the roots of each philosopher's work and ideas, leading readers to a thorough understanding of the key influences and philosophical foundations from which his or her thought developed. Ideal for first-year students starting out in philosophy, the series will serve as the ideal companion to study of this fascinating subject.
Download or read book The Riddle of Hume s Treatise written by Paul Russell and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-06-15 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is widely held that Hume's Treatise has little or nothing to do with problems of religion. Contrary to this view, Paul Russell argues that it is irreligious aims and objectives that are fundamental to the Treatise and account for its underlying unity and coherence
Download or read book An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding with A Letter from a Gentleman to His Friend in Edinburgh and An Abstract of a Treatise of Human Nature written by David Hume and published by Hackett Publishing. This book was released on 1993-01-01 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A landmark of enlightenment though, HUme's An Enquiry Concerning Human understanding is accompanied here by two shorter works that shed light on it: A Letter from a Gentlemen to His Friend in Edinburgh, hume's response to those accusing him of atheism, of advocating extreme scepticism, and of undermining the foundations of morality; and his Abstract of A Treatise of HUman Nature, which anticipates discussions developed in the Enquiry. In his concise Introduction, Eric Steinberg explores the conditions that led to write the Enquiry and the work's important relationship to Book 1 of Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature.
Download or read book Mirrors to One Another written by E. M. Dadlez and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-03-30 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compelling exploration of the convergence of Jane Austen’sliterary themes and characters with David Hume’s views onmorality and human nature. Argues that the normative perspectives endorsed in JaneAusten's novels are best characterized in terms of a Humeanapproach, and that the merits of Hume's account of ethical,aesthetic and epistemic virtue are vividly illustrated by Austen'swriting. Illustrates how Hume and Austen complement one another, eachproviding a lens that allows us to expand and elaborate on theideas of the other Proposes that literature may serve as a thought experiment,articulating hypothetical cases which allow the reader to test hermoral intuitions Contributes to ongoing debates on the philosophy of literature,ethics, and emotion
