David Hume

David Hume 1754

Old Calton David Hume

DavidHume

Allan Ramsay - David Hume, 1711 - 1776. Historian and philosopher - Google Art Project

David Hume and Adam Smith statues, Edinburgh

David Hume (7 May 1711 – 25 August 1776) was a Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, who is best known today for his highly influential system of philosophical empiricism, skepticism, and naturalism. Hume's empiricist approach to philosophy places him with John Locke, George Berkeley, and a handful of others as a founder of the modern empiricist tradition.

Early Life

David Hume was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1711. His family was not wealthy, but they were well connected in the legal and political worlds. Hume attended the University of Edinburgh at the unusually young age of twelve, though he left without obtaining a degree. Early on, Hume decided to pursue a rigorous program of reading and self-study, aiming to make a great philosophical discovery.

Philosophical Work

Hume's most significant contributions to philosophy are found in his A Treatise of Human Nature (1739–40), which he wrote at the age of twenty-six. However, the work was not well received at the time. It was only later, with his Enquiries concerning Human Understanding and Enquiries concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), that his reputation as a leading philosopher began to grow.

Hume's philosophy is built on the idea that all human knowledge derives from experience. He argued that all the contents of the mind are either impressions, which are the direct products of experiences, or ideas, which are faint images of these impressions. This led him to skepticism about the existence of anything beyond our sensory experiences, including God, the self, and causality. Hume famously argued that our belief in causality is not grounded in reason but in habit, as we are accustomed to associating certain events with others.

Historical and Economic Writings

In addition to his philosophical works, Hume wrote extensively on history and economics. His six-volume The History of England (1754–62) was his best-selling work during his lifetime, and it played a significant role in shaping the modern understanding of English history. In economics, Hume's essays, such as "Of the Balance of Trade," were foundational in the development of classical economics.

Legacy

David Hume is regarded as one of the most important philosophers to write in English. He significantly influenced the development of empiricism and skepticism. His works have also had a profound impact on the philosophy of science, ethics, and aesthetics. Hume's ideas about religion, morality, and economics continue to be discussed today.

Hume's skepticism and empiricism laid the groundwork for many later philosophers, including Immanuel Kant, who famously said that Hume had awakened him from his "dogmatic slumbers." Hume's influence extends beyond philosophy into the realms of psychology, history, economics, and political theory.

See Also

• Empiricism
• Skepticism
• Enlightenment
• Philosophy of science