Historical Figures Codexery

David Hume

Scottish philosopher known for empiricism and scepticism.

David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist and essayist born on 7 May 1711 in Edinburgh.[1][2] He is known for his system of empiricism, philosophical scepticism and metaphysical naturalism.[1] Custom and mental habit, rather than empirical justification, are the source of Hume's account of inductive reasoning and belief in causality, according to his argument.[3]

Quick Facts

Birth name
David Home
Born
7 May [26 April OS] 1711
Birthplace
Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, Scotland
Died
25 August 1776
Place of death
New Town, Edinburgh, Scotland
Education
University of Edinburgh (attended)
Era
Enlightenment
Region
Scottish philosophy

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Hume was either 12 or perhaps as young as 10 when he began attending the University of Edinburgh, which was unusually early compared to the typical age of 14.[4] Because of his family background, Hume's initial career consideration was law.[4] A philosophical discovery around age 18 revealed to Hume "a new Scene of Thought," which he described as inspiring him to abandon all other pursuits.[5] Hume spent four years composing his initial major work, A Treatise of Human Nature, which he finished in 1738 when he was 27 years old.[6]

Taking a position common for his era, Hume became a merchant's assistant, which required him to leave Scotland and travel via Bristol to La Flèche in Anjou, France.[7] Hume's six-volume The History of England became a bestseller and was regarded as the definitive history of England.[8]

What the cited sources add

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states that Hume's contribution to the free will debate is one of the most influential statements of the "compatibilist" position.[9] According to that source, Hume's compatibilist strategy can be understood through "classical" and "naturalistic" interpretations.[9] The same source states that Hume's concern with moral sentiment anticipates key features of P.F. Strawson's contribution to the free will debate.[9] Adam Smith's letter recounts Hume's amusing speculation about asking Charon for more years to see the downfall of superstition.[10][11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "David Hume" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Morris, William Edward, and Charlotte R. Brown. 2019 [2001]. "David Hume." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford: Metaphysics Research Lab. Retrieved 18 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "David Hume" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hume, David. 1778 [1776]. "My Own Life." In The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar to the Revolution in 1688 1. London. Archived from the ori (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "David Hume" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Berlin, "The Roots of Romanticism", Princeton University Press, 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "David Hume" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hume 1778, p. 3 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "David Hume" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hume 1993, p. 346; Johnson 1995, p. 8–9 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "David Hume" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hume, D., "Advertisement to Books I and II" in (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "David Hume" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Huxley, "Hume", Cambridge University Press, 2011, p. 7–8; Perinetti, "Hume at La Flèche: Skepticism and the French Connection", Journal of the History of Philosophy, 2018, p. 45–74 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "David Hume" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Trevor-Roper, "History and the Enlightenment", Yale University Press, 2010; Hume, David. 1778 [1776]. "My Own Life." In The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar to the Revolution in 1688 1. London. Archived from the ori; Hume, David. 1778 [1776]. "My Own Life." In The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar to the Revolution in 1688 1. London. Archived from the ori; Hume, David. 1777. Essays and Treatises on Several Subjects 2. London. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2020. (origin en.wikipedia.org
  9. "Hume on Free Will", Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2016. facts only, no text reused. plato.stanford.edu
  10. Smith, Adam. 1789 [1776]. "Letter from Adam Smith, LL.D. to William Strathan, Esq." pp. xix–xxiv in The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar to. facts only, no text reused. archive.org
  11. Wikipedia, "David Hume" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Smith, Adam. 1789 [1776]. "Letter from Adam Smith, LL.D. to William Strathan, Esq." pp. xix–xxiv in The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar to (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article David Hume (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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