Abstract
This paper reviews David Hume's "Inquiry IV" on matters of fact and relation of ideas, geometry and value, cause and effect. The author presents Hume's conclusions on matters of thought. The paper compares Hume to Descartes.

From the Paper
"David Hume considered the nature of thought and drew two important conclusions. First, an idea is real only if it is derived from or reducible to sense impressions and, second ,a term is meaningful only if it stands ..."

Tags:David Hume, Descartes, skepticism, empiricism

Abstract
This paper analyzes and describes philosopher David Hume's conception of the problem of evil. It argues that Hume saw evil as something created by men through a failure of will and reason and choosing wrong over right. the issue of moral evil and natural evil is also examined.

From the Paper
"David Hume created a philosophical theory that has been characterized as containing a thoroughgoing skepticism and Hume appears to have regarded himself as something of a pagan. (Solomon Higgins) As a self-styled pagan, Hume tended to naturalism, to the idea that what reason could not do nature would do for us anyway. If reason cannot guarantee morals, our human natures nevertheless supply us with adequate sentiments to behave reasonably toward one another. (Solomon Higgins) A substantial amount of Hume's work focused on..."

Tags:philosophy, David Hume, evil, will, reason, moral

Abstract
This paper considers David Hume and atheism with a eye towards exploring the role and function of critique and prejudice with regards to religion. The paper further examines the concept of sceptical thought and the use of, and appreciation of, prejudice which can allow a person to see the weaknesses of a religious faith and to see the shortcomings of a particularly religious conception of reality.

From the Paper
"The following paper will look at David Hume and atheism with a eye towards exploring the role/function of critique and prejudice with regards to religion and with regards to the religious representation of reality; in other words, sceptical thought and an use of, and appreciation of, prejudice can allow a person to see the weaknesses of a religious faith and to see the shortcomings of a particularly religious conception of reality. As time allows, the next several pages will raise the following points: the function of critique, what makes it so important, is that it forces people to consider the viability of their religious faith - and..."

Tags:david, hume, atheism

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses some of the ideas of the 18th century Scottish philosopher, David Hume. The writer examines Hume's concept of cause and effect. David Hume's use of reason versus experience is discussed in this paper. The writer also looks at Hume's view of religion.

From the Paper
"David Hume was an eighteenth century Scottish philosopher and historian. He believed that the biggest obstacle to improvement in the moral or metaphysical sciences was what he referred to as the obscurity of the ideas and ambiguity of the terms. Hume argued that conventional definitions defining terms in terms of other terms create confusion by substituting synonyms for the original and thus never break new ground. Stephen Miller writing in "Wilson Quarterly" explains that Hume believed determining the cognitive content of a idea or term required ... "

Tags:David Hune, philosophy, ideas, religion, morality, proof, heretic, adam smith, rationality

Abstract
This paper discusses David Hume, 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. The writer describes his syncretic philosophical outlook, and explains some of the ideas that characterize his particular epistemology.

From the Paper
"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...."

Tags:hume, empiricism, self

Abstract
In this article, the writer examines the effects of the theories and philosophy of David Hume on present day economics. The writer includes economic, social, and political theory and looks at how their effects on present day economics are intertwined today.

From the Paper
"The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the theories and philosophy of David Hume on present day economics. David Hume formulated economic social and political theory. These theories were intertwined with one another while Hume was alive and their effects on present day economics are intertwined today. The thesis of this paper is that the effects of Hume's theories on present day economics are not restricted to the specific theories formulated by Hume. Rather the effects must ..."

Tags:economics, Hume, philosophy, theory

Abstract
This paper describes a conversation about the "design argument" set out in "Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion and the Natural History of Religion" by David Hume. One person has defended the design argument for God's existence, while another has been arguing that Philo's objections are decisive against it. There are actually three characters in this dialogue, Philo the skeptic, Cleanthes the theologian, and Demea, the one who believes revealed religion.

From the Paper
"Kim and Alex that are having a conversation about the "design argument" set out in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion and the Natural History of Religion by David Hume. Kim has defended the design argument for God's existence, while Alex has been arguing that Philo's objections are decisive against it. There are actually three characters in this dialogue, Philo the skeptic, Cleanthes the theologian, and Demea, the one who believes revealed religion. Philo can be considered the main character, since he does most of the talking, and his skepticism thus becomes the central element in the book and the most important argument, though the argument by Cleanthes is..."

Tags:hume, design, argument

Abstract
David Hume was an undeniably brilliant philosopher who, at times, suffered in his writing the inability to adequately express his actual philosophy and thoughts. One of his most stunning arguments was, in actuality, a refutation of the Skeptics, a movement started in great part by Descartes, who attempted to convince Aristotelian philosophers that our experiences with the world are based solely upon our senses and, as such, our senses and thus our perception of the world and reality can be deceived. Therefore, the skeptic encourages us to question the validity of trusting only our senses for our knowledge of the world. While Descartes' and the other Skeptics' arguments were and continue to be the stuff of philosophical cliche (the "prove you exist" argument) the truth is that, as David Hume points out, there is no real point in pondering whether or not we actually exist. The fact of this futility is proven in the very real problem in that if we assume that the universe is the individual creation of just the "I", then the very same person is also taking on the role of God, which, according to Hume and others like him, is an impossibility. The ultimate end of the Skeptics argument, if you follow it to its logical conclusion, is that it is possible that all of us are the creation of some one person's imagination and that, as such, our existence is subject to the whims of one person's perception of reality and the self. Hume's argument, that such skeptical investigations of reality and the actuality of the self is pointless, is one which has a great deal of validity. But, there are counter arguments to his counter-argument, and in the interests of a full academic exploration of his philosophy, it is necessary to explore some of those arguments. It is the purpose of this paper, then, to examine three problems found in Hume's argument and to demonstrate that the exploration of reality from a skeptical point of view is nothing more than an exercise of thought, one that can ultimately only lead lead to psychological diagnoses of breaks in sanity rather than a treatise on our actual reality.

Abstract
This paper explains that, in his essay "Of the Original Contract", David Hume affirmed that the sovereign power of the government emanated from the people themselves; thus, the people have the power to resist the sovereign power of the government whenever the government fails to do its intended job. The author points out that, in general, contractarianism is an agreement between the society and the people in power for the purpose of maintaining peace and order. The paper relates that Hume focused not on the power of the individual, but on the power of these individuals as group or community. The author also notes Hume's belief that, without a society, there is no government but there can still be a society even without a government.

Table of Contents:
Contractarianism and its Forms
Hume on the Variants of Contractarianism
Hume in his own Refutations
Modernity and Civil Society

From the Paper
"One will also notice that as to compare with other contractarians, given the situation, David Hume justified the resistance and disobedience on the part of the people from the sovereign government. It is also noticeable that his concept of contract is far less individualistic and statist. I believe so because Hume focused not on the power of the individual but on the power of these individuals as group or community. I believe this subject, the power of the community, is the consent of the people rendered and given to the government."

Tags:contractarianism, refutations, statist, society, people

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that David Hume was seen as a very prominent figure in history both in the Scottish enlightenment and in Western philosophy. The writer notes that interest in Hume's work in recent years has become more centered on the philosophical writing that he did, but it was for being a historian that he originally gained some notoriety. The writer points out that much of what Hume had to say became closely involved with others as they examined their own philosophies and ideas. This made Hume's work much more significant because so much of what he stated and believed in was studied by others and expanded on as time passed. The writer concludes that Hume meant a great deal to many philosophers, and this is part of the reason that his work is still so alive and important today while the work of others of his time have not been as closely studied.

From the Paper
"In David Hume's article on empiricism, he attempts to show how some things that people believe to be real are the product of false knowledge, and there is a difference between things that people perceive to be true and things that actually are true. Hume's theory is that only things that can be proven, such as mathematics, are absolutely true. Other things may seem to be true because something usually happens related to something else, but even though this seems to always be the case there is room for argument in that it does not have to be the case every time, simply because it has happened that way in the past. Hume believes that the only truth is mathematical truth, and that there are many other things in the world that people falsely perceive to be true because they have not subjected those things to an examination that is serious enough to show otherwise."

Tags:Humean, philosophy, empiricism, History, of, Great, Britain