An enquiry concerning human understanding and other writings / David Hume ; edited by Stephen Buckle.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hume, David, 1711-1776.

Contributor:

Buckle, Stephen.

Series:

Cambridge texts in the history of philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Knowledge, Theory of--Early works to 1800.

Knowledge, Theory of.

Physical Description:

xli, 232 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Summary:

The main objective of Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy is to expand the range, variety and quality of texts in the history of philosophy which are available in English. The series includes texts by familiar names (such as Descartes and Kant) and also by less well-known authors. Wherever possible, texts are published in complete and unabridged form, and translations are specially commissioned for the series. Each volume contains a critical introduction together with a guide to further reading and any necessary glossaries and textual apparatus. The volumes are designed for student use at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and will be of interest not only to students of philosophy but also to a wider audience of readers in the history of science, the history of theology, and the history of ideas.

David Hume's An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, first published in 1748, is a concise statement of Hume's central philosophical positions. It develops an account of human mental functioning which emphasizes the limits of human knowledge and the extent of our reliance on (non-rational) mental habits. It then applies that account to questions of free will and religious knowledge before closing with a defence of moderate scepticism. This volume, which presents a modified version of the definitive 1772 edition of the work, offers helpful annotations for the student reader, together with an introduction that sets this profoundly influential work in its philosophical and historical contexts. The volume also includes a selection of other works by Hume that throw light on both the circumstances of the work's genesis and its key themes and arguments.

Contents:

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding 1

1 Of the different species of philosophy 3

2 Of the origin of ideas 14

3 Of the association of ideas 19

4 Sceptical doubts concerning the operations of the understanding 28

5 Sceptical solution of these doubts 41

6 Of probability 54

7 Of the idea of necessary connexion 57

8 Of liberty and necessity 73

9 Of the reason of animals 92

10 Of miracles 96

11 Of a particular providence and of a future state 117

12 Of the academical or sceptical philosophy 131

Other Writings 145

A Letter from a Gentleman to his Friend in Edinburgh 147

The Sceptic 163

Of Suicide 181

Of the Immortality of the Soul 190

Thumbnail biographies from The History of England 198

Selections from Hume's letters 203

My Own Life 215.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0521843405

9780521843409

0521604036

9780521604031

OCLC:

71808128