David Hume

David Hume

David Hume was a philosopher, historian and economist during the Enlightenment. Hume had considerable influence on other philosophers of the period, including Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham.¹

Fast Facts

Birth name: David Home²
Born: April 26, 1711
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
Youngest of three children²
Died: August 25, 1776

Problem of Causation

Hume's problem of causation discusses the relationship between objects. He maintains that until we understand the "necessary connection"³ between objects, we can't achieve "certainty of knowledge".⁴

Induction

The problem of induction questions the way humans form expectations about what will happen in the future. Hume asks whether it is appropriate to "induce" expectations of the future from past experience.⁵

Is-ought problem

Also known as "Hume's Guillotine," the "is-ought problem" reflects Hume's assertion that many writers form statements about what "ought to be" from what "is."⁶

Quotes

"If I ask you why you believe any particular matter of fact, which you relate, you must tell me some reason; and this reason will be some other fact, connected with it. But as you cannot proceed after this manner, in infinitum, you must at last terminate in some fact, which is present to your memory or senses; or must allow that your belief is entirely without foundation."—David Hume⁴

Categories

History | European History | Philosophy

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The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: David Hume
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: David Hume (1711-1776): Life and Writings
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: David Hume
Baylor University: Hume and His Critics
Knowledge Rush: David Hume
The Hume Society
YouTube Video: John Passmore on Hume: Section 1 (Time: 8:57)

David Hume Background and Profiles

Biographies: David Hume
Utilitarian.net: David Hume

Philosopher

Space and Motion: David Hume Philosophy
Early Modern Texts: David Hume , 1711-1776
Oregon State University: David Hume (1711-1776)

Historian

Google Books: The History of England...by David Hume
Online Library of Liberty: David Hume
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: David Hume - Politics, Criticism, History, and Religion

Economist

Library of Economics and Liberty: David Hume, Biography
History of Economic Thought: David Hume, 1711-1776
Federal Reserve bank of dallas: David Hume – Foundations of the Classical School of Economics - Economic Insights - FRB Dallas

David Hume Images and Media

Google Images: David Hume
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Google Video: David Hume Videos
YouTube: David Hume Videos
YouTube Video: The Enlightened Dialogues: Adam Smith & David Hume (Time: 5:27)
YouTube Video: John Passmore on Hume: Section 2 (Time: 8:42)
YouTube Video: John Passmore on Hume: Section 3 (Time: 9:13)
YouTube Video: John Passmore on Hume: Section 4 (Time: 6:58)
YouTube Video: John Passmore on Hume: Section 5 (Time: 7:35)

David Hume Books and Research

Google Books: David Hume Books
Amazon.com: David Hume Books
Google Books: Hume
Google Books: Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
Google Books: A Treatise of Human Nature

David Hume Blogs and Message Boards

Beyond Necessity: The Toils of Metaphysics (June 21, 2008)
Adam Smith's Lost Legacy: David Hume's Tomb in Disrepair (June 13, 2008)
Christian Theology: On Miracles and David Hume (part 2) (June 4, 2008)

David Hume Timeline

1711: Born on April 26
1723: Enrolls in Edinburgh University to study law.
1734: Visits France, and begins writing Treatise of Human Nature.
1739: First two volumes of the Treatise of Human Nature published.
1752: Begins work on The History of England which is published in five volumes from 1752 to 1764.
1763: Serves as secretary to the British ambassador to Paris.
1767: Is appointed British undersecretary of state.
1769: Retires to Edinburgh
1776: Died on August 25 of cancer.

Related Pages on Mahalo

Skepticism | Aristotle | Rene Descartes | Plato | Socrates | John Locke | Voltaire | Psychology | Sociology | Karl Marx | Søren Kierkegaard | Friedrich Nietzsche | Jean Paul Sartre | Blaise Pascal | Immanuel Kant | Philosophy | Adam Smith

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