Hume's 'A treatise of human nature' : an introduction / John P. Wright.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wright, John P., author.

Series:

Cambridge introductions to key philosophical texts.

Cambridge introductions to key philosophical texts

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hume, David, 1711-1776. Treatise of human nature.

Hume, David.

Knowledge, Theory of.

Emotions (Philosophy).

Ethics.

Skepticism.

Reason.

Philosophical anthropology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xx, 316 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature (1739-40) presents the most important account of skepticism in the history of modern philosophy. In this lucid and thorough introduction to the work, John P. Wright examines the development of Hume's ideas in the Treatise, their relation to eighteenth-century theories of the imagination and passions, and the reception they received when Hume published the Treatise. He explains Hume's arguments concerning the inability of reason to establish the basic beliefs which underlie science and morals, as well as his arguments showing why we are nevertheless psychologically compelled to accept such beliefs. The book will be a valuable guide for those seeking to understand the nature of modern skepticism and its connection with the founding of the human sciences during the Enlightenment.

Contents:

The author and the book

First principles

Causation

Skepticism

Determinism

Passions, sympathy, and other minds

Motivation: reason and calm passions

Moral sense, reason, and moral skepticism

The foundations of morals.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-107-20968-4

0-511-84969-9

1-282-65329-6

9786612653292

0-511-80845-3

0-511-68979-9

0-511-69127-0

0-511-69239-0

0-511-69053-3

0-511-68904-7

OCLC:

642661165