Hume's epistemological evolution / Hsueh M. Qu.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Qu, Hsueh, 1988- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hume, David, 1711-1776.

Hume, David.

Knowledge, Theory of.

Physical Description:

xiv, 273 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2020]

Summary:

"Here is a central issue in Hume scholarship: what is the relationship between Hume's early Treatise of Human Nature and his later Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding? Is the Enquiry a mere simplified restatement of the contents of the Treatise, or do the two substantially differ? Here is another critical issue in Hume scholarship: what is the relationship between Hume's scepticism and his naturalism? How can we reconcile Hume's extreme brand of scepticism with his positive ambitions of providing an account of human nature? Hume's Epistemological Evolution argues that these two issues are intimately related. In particular, this book argues that Hume's Enquiry indeed differs from the Treatise, precisely because he changes his response to scepticism between the two works. Because the Treatise has as its primary focus the psychological naturalistic project, its treatment of epistemological issues arises unsystematically from the psychological investigation. Consequently, Hume finds himself forced into an unsatisfactory response to scepticism founded on the Title Principle (THN 1.4.7.11). However, this response is deeply problematic, as Hume himself seems to recognise. In contrast to the Treatise, the Enquiry emphasises the epistemological aspects of Hume's project, and offers a radically different and more sophisticated epistemology. This framework addresses the weaknesses of the earlier one, and also constitutes a 'compleat answer' to two of his most prominent critics, Thomas Reid and James Beattie. Hume's epistemology thus undergoes an evolution between these two works"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1 The Relation between the Treatise and the Enquiry p. 1

1 Two Interpretative Issues p. 1

2 Hume's Naturalism and Scepticism p. 2

3 The Relationship between the Treatise and the Enquiry p. 5

4 Hume's Own Words p. 8

5 Humes Intellectual Legacy p. 13

6 A Prospectus p. 28

2 Hume's Aims p. 30

1 The Treatise Introduction p. 30

2 EHU 1 p. 32

3 Initial Comparisons p. 35

4 Hume's Negative Project p. 40

3 Hume's Negative Argument on Induction p. 45

1 Hume's Negative Argument in the Treatise p. 54

2 Hume's Negative Argument in the Enquiry p. 57

3 From Description to Prescription p. 59

4 Sensation and Intuition p. 66

5 Hume's Parting Shot p. 76

4 Hume's Positive Argument on Induction p. 79

1 Hume's Positive Argument in the Treatise p. 80

2 Hume's Positive Argument in the Enquiry p. 81

3 A Prima Facie Case p. 83

4 The Normative Payload in EHU 5 p. 85

5 Loose Ends p. 91

5 The Scepticism of Book 1, Part 4 p. 96

1 The Relation between THN 1.4.7 and EHU 12 p. 96

2 Book 1, Part 4 of the Treatise p. 101

3 Of Scepticism with Regard to Reason p. 104

4 Of Scepticism with Regard to the Senses p. 107

5 Of the Ancient Philosophy p. 112

6 Of the Modern Philosophy p. 114

6 The Title Principle and THN 1.4.7 p. 117

1 The Dangerous Dilemma p. 118

2 Hume's Passionate Sojourn and the Return to Philosophy p. 123

3 The Title Principle p. 125

4 Alternatives Addressed p. 132

5 Objections p. 140

7 A Flawed Framework p. 147

1 The Grounds for the Title Principle p. 147

2 The Title Principle and Superstition p. 152

3 Truth-Insensitivity p. 159

8 Critical Self-Reflection p. 167

1 Curiosity and Ambition p. 168

2 Academic Philosophy and the Passions p. 171

9 A New Epistemology p. 179

1 A Brief Exposition of EHU 12 p. 179

2 Antecedent Scepticism p. 183

3 Pyrrhonian Scepticism p. 186

4 Mitigated Scepticism p. 188

5 Philosophical Objections p. 199

6 The Sceptical Interpretation p. 203

7 Mitigated Scepticism and EHU 1 p. 212

8 Mitigated Scepticism and EHU 5 p. 214

9 Mitigated Scepticism and Part 1 of the Dialogues p. 217

10 A Change for the Better p. 220

1 Contemporary Epistemology p. 220

2 Atoning for the Sins of THN 1.4.7 p. 226

3 A Compleat Answer p. 236

4 The Treatise and the Enquiry p. 246.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Qu, Hsueh, 1988- Hume's epistemological evolution

ISBN:

9780190066291

0190066296

OCLC:

1104859552

Publisher Number:

99983730967