The Philosophy of David Hume

Paper Summary:

The paper looks at Hume's examination of causation and the problems inherent in it, his theory of perception, his theory of knowledge or what he might call "inner perception" and finally his theory of the self. The paper also offers a brief look at his ideas on morality and religion. The paper concludes that the fact that Hume's "metaphysical microscope" continues to be found a provocative source of thought and philosophical contemplation three centuries after its author's death, is a testimony to the power of Hume's work.

From the Paper:

"David Hume remains one of the most well-known and influential of British philosophers due to the broad scope of the ideas and the depth of analysis that are exhibited throughout his voluminous writings. His philosophical outlook has been described as something of a syncretism between naturalism and skepticism, and he builds upon the work of predecessors such as Berkeley and Locke while going beyond them on a number of levels. He is known for a profoundly skeptical epistemology in which he dissects and invalidates received wisdom and "common sense" about various topics including the nature of causation, the self, and religion; as a result, he was often denounced as "atheistic" by contemporaries, but his thought was a vital influence on later thinkers such as economist Adam Smith and philosopher Jeremy Bentham, not to mention (in the 19th century) Charles Darwin ("David Hume" 1.)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• "David Hume." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. First published 26 Feb 2001. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hume.
• Gaskin, J.C.A.. Hume's Philosophy of Religion. NY: Humanities Press International 1978.
• Hume, David. Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Ed. L. Selby-Bigge. Oxford: Clarendon Press 1975.

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