An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

by David Hume

Overview

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is a book by the Scottish empiricist philosopher David Hume. This book has proven highly influential, both in the years that would immediately follow and today. Immanuel Kant points to it as the book which woke him from his self-described "dogmatic slumber". The argument of the Enquiry proceeds by a series of incremental steps, separated into chapters which logically succeed one another. After expounding his epistemology, Hume explains how to apply his principles to specific topics. I. Of the Different Species of Philosophy II. Of the Origin of Ideas III. Of the Association of Ideas IV. Sceptical Doubts Concerning the Operations of the Understanding V. Sceptical Solution of these Doubts VI. Of Probability VII. Of the Idea of Necessary Connexion VIII. Of Liberty and Necessity IX. Of the Reason of Animals X. Of Miracles XI. Of a Particular Providence and of a Future State XII. Of the Academical or Sceptical Philosophy

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783736807631
Publisher:	BookRix
Publication date:	06/23/2017
Sold by:	Readbox
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	731 KB

About the Author

David Hume (1711 - 1776) was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, who is best known today for his highly influential system of radical philosophical empiricism, skepticism, and naturalism.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A History of Two Dissertations
A Note on the Text

Texts

A DISSERTATION ON THE PASSIONS
THE NATURAL HISTORY OF RELIGION

Editorial Material

Editor's Annotations
Editorial Appendix: Emendations and Substantive Variants
Biographical Appendix
The Intellectual Background
Reference List
Catalogue of Hume's References
Hume's Index
Editor's Index
Introduction; A Note on the Text; An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding; Editor's Annotations; Glossary; Editorial Appendix; Biographical Appendix; Reference List; Catalogue of Hume's references; Hume's Index; Editor's Index.

Editorial Reviews

"The 1758 edition of An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding was the first to be grouped together with A Dissertation on the Passions, An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals, and The Natural History of Religion. This grouping well reflects Hume's ambition to recast his earlier Treatise on Human Nature, and brings into relief his explicit criticism of religion. In four appendices, Lorne Falkenstein has thoughtfully chosen selections by Hume's contemporaries who challenge Hume on the central topics of the Enquiry: perception and reasoning, causation, and miracles. Falkenstein adds helpful notes providing further historical context. This is an excellent edition for undergraduate and graduate courses, and will be a welcome new resource for scholars."

Jacqueline Taylor University of San Francisco

"David Hume's Enquiry concerning Human Understanding is a philosophical masterpiece that explores the nature of human cognition and the limits of our knowledge. This edition of the Enquiry helpfully puts the text in its historical context by presenting it alongside responses from Hume's most significant 18th-century critics: George Campbell, Thomas Reid, James Beattie, and Immanuel Kant. Lorne Falkenstein's incisive introduction and editorial comments offer readers, whether novice or expert, a sure hand as they navigate both the deceivingly straightforward text and the critics' responses."

Donald C. Ainslie University of Toronto