David Hume

First published in 1739 to an unenthusiastic British public, Hume's "A Treatise of Human Nature" has since been referred to as one of the most significant books in the history of philosophy. Hume, a Scottish philosopher, claimed that he was attempting to discuss moral issues with a methodical reasoning, and proceeded to do so in this foundational text. Divided into three large sections, Hume begins his work with a discussion of human understanding,...

Disappointed by the public reception to "A Treatise of Human Nature", published anonymously between 1739 and 1740, David Hume decided to produce a shorter more polemic version of that work nearly ten years later. That revision, which was published in 1748, would be entitled "An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding". Dispensing with much of the extraneous material from the "Treatise", Hume focuses on his more vital propositions in the "Enquiry"....

This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is the thesis of a thinker who was a scientist, psychologist, metaphysician, and skeptic who continues to fascinate contemporary minds. The product of both youthful fire and mature consideration, the Enquiry, "contain[s] everything of Consequence relating to the understanding." In the face of skepticism, the Enquiry offered...

In A Treatise on Human Nature, Scottish philosopher David Hume examines the psychological influences on human nature. Taking a naturalistic position, Hume posited that human nature is guided by desire rather than rational thought, and that humans could only have knowledge of those things that they themselves directly experienced. Published in 1738, A Treatise on Human Nature is considered one of the most important philosophical works published, and...

Morris David Hume (1711-1776) was the one of the important philosopher ever to write in English, as well as a master stylist. This title contains his major philosophical works.

El presente libro es un retrato de la personalidad de uno de los personajes más importantes de la filosofía, la historia y, tal vez, también de la literatura. Se intenta no mostrarlo como un sesudo intelectual, sino como un ser de carne y hueso; proporcionar muestras de la vida que lo hizo grande.

David Hume (1711-1776) remains a major figure in British philosophy, particularly for two or three works, including A Treatise on Human Nature and An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. But he was also a prolific essayist and historian. During his lifetime Essays Moral, Political and Literary went through a number of editions and collections, far outselling his philosophy. Now, the situation is reversed. But reading the essays today it is difficult...

Entertaining and insightful, David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion and The Natural History of Religion are considered to be among the most important philosophical works on the topic of religion. Each investigates the formation and consequences of religious belief: taking the form of a Platonic dialogue between three speakers (a sceptic, an empiricist and a theologian/mystic), the first work scrutinises the various arguments for the existence...

David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion had not yet been published when he died in 1776. Even though the manuscript was mostly written during the 1750s, it did not appear until 1779. The subject itself was too delicate and controversial, and Hume's dialectical examination of religious knowledge was especially provocative. What should we teach young people about religion? The characters Demea, Cleanthes, and Philo passionately present...