A treatise of human nature

by David Hume

Overview

Hume's introduction presents the idea of placing all science and philosophy on a novel foundation: namely, an empirical investigation into human psychology. He begins by acknowledging "that common prejudice against metaphysical reasonings [i.e., any complicated and difficult argumentation]", a prejudice formed in reaction to "the present imperfect condition of the sciences" (including the endless scholarly disputes and the inordinate influence of "eloquence" over reason). But since the truth "must lie very deep and abstruse" where "the greatest geniuses" have not found it, careful reasoning is still needed. All sciences, Hume continues, ultimately depend on "the science of man": knowledge of "the extent and force of human understanding, ... the nature of the ideas we employ, and... the operations we perform in our reasonings" is needed to make real intellectual progress. So Hume hopes "to explain the principles of human nature", thereby "propos[ing] a compleat system of the sciences, built on a foundation almost entirely new, and the only one upon which they can stand with any security." But an a priori psychology would be hopeless: the science of man must be pursued by the experimental methods of the natural sciences. This means we must rest content with well-confirmed empirical generalizations, forever ignorant of "the ultimate original qualities of human nature". And in the absence of controlled experiments, we are left to "glean up our experiments in this science from a cautious observation of human life, and take them as they appear in the common course of the world, by men's behaviour in company, in affairs, and in their pleasures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541260566
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	12/22/2016
Pages:	738
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 1.47(d)

About the Author

David Norton is Macdonald Professor of Moral Philosophy and Co-director of the Hume Society/National Endowment for the Humanities Institute on the Philosophy of David Hume.

Mary J. Norton is an independent scholar

both at McGill University, Montreal

Table of Contents

PART 1: INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL

How to Use this Book

List of Abbreviations

Editor's Introduction

Hume's Early years and Education

A Treatise of Human Nature

Book 1: Of the Understanding

Book 1 part 1: The Elements of the Mental World

Book 1 Part 2: The Ideas of Space and Time

Book 1 Part 3: Knowledge, Probability, Belief, and Causation

Book 1 Part 4: Forms of Scepticism

Book 2: Of the passions

Book 2 Part 1: The Indirect Passions of Pride and Humility

Book 2 Part 2: The Indirect Passions of Love and Hatred

Book 2 part 3: The Direct Passions and the Will

Book 3: Of Morals

Book 3 Part 1: The Source of Moral Distinctions

Book 3 Part 2: The Artificial Virtues

Book 3 Part 3: Natural Virtues and Natural Abilities

The Abstract and the Early Reception of the Treatise

Supplementary Reading

A Note on the Texts of this Edition

PART 2: THE TEXT

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Introduction

Book 1: Of the Understanding

Part 1: Of ideas, their origin, composition, connexion, abstraction, etc.

Sect. 1: Of the origin of our ideas

Sect. 2: Division of the subject

Sect. 3: Of the ideas of the memory and imagination

Sect. 4: Of the connexion of association of ideas

Sect. 5. Of relations

Sect. 6 Of modes and substances

Sect. 7: Of abstract ideas

Part 2: Of ideas of space and time

Sect. 1: Of the infinite divisibility of our ideas of space and time

Sect. 2: Of the infinitedivisibility of space and time

Sect. 3. Of the other qualities of our ideas of space and time

Sect. 4. Objections answered

Sect. 5: The same subject continued

Sect. 6: Of the idea of existence and of external existence

Part 3: of knowledge and probability

Sect. 1: Of knowledge

Sect. 2. Of probability; and of the idea of cause and effect

Sect. 3: Why a cause is always necessary

Sect. 4: Of the component parts of our reasonings concerning cause and effect

Sect. 5: Of the impressions of the senses and memory

Section. 6: Of the inference from the impression to the idea

Sect. 7: Of the nature of the idea or belief

Sect. 8: Of the causes of belief

Sect. 9: Of the effects of other relations and other habits

Sect 10. Of the influence of belief

Sect. 11: Of the probability of chances

Sect. 12: Of the probability of causes

Sect. 13: Of unphilosophical probability

Sect. 14: Of the idea of necessary connexion

Sect. 15: Rules by which to judge of causes and effects

Sect. 16: Of the reason of animals

Part 4: Of the sceptical and other systems of philosophy

Sect. 1: Of scepticism with regard to reason

Sect. 2: Of scepticism with regard to the senses

Sect. 3. Of the ancient philosophy

Sect 4. Of the modern philosophy

Sect. 5: Of the immateriality of the soul

Sect. 6: Of personal identity

Sect. 7: Conclusion of this book

Book 2: Of the Passions

Part 1: Of pride and humility

Sect. 1: Division of the subject

Sect. 2: Of pride and humility; their objects and causes

Sect. 3: Whence these objects and causes are derived

Sect. 4: Of the relations of impressions and ideas

Sect. 5: Of the influence of these relations on pride and humility

Sect. 6: Limitations of this system

Sect. 7: Of vice and virtue

Sect. 8: Of beauty and deformity

Sect. 9: Of external advantages and disadvantages

Sect. 10: Of property and riches

Sect. 11: Of the love of fame

Sect. 12: Of the pride and humility of animals

Part 2: Of love and hatred

Sect. 1: Of the objects and causes of love and hatred

Sect. 2: Experiments to confirm this system

Sect. 3: Difficulties solved

Sect. 4: Of the love of relations

Sect. 5: Of our esteem for the rich and powerful

Sect 6: Of benevolence and anger

Sect. 7: Of compassion

Sect. 8: Of malice and envy

Sect. 9: Of the mixture of benevolence and anger with compassion and malice

Sect. 10. Of respect and contempt

Sect. 11: Of the amorous passion, or love betwixt the sexes

Sect. 12: Of the love and hatred of animals

Part 3: Of the will and direct passions

Sect. 1: Of liberty and necessity

Sect. 2: The same subject continued

Sect. 3: Of the influencing motives of the will

Sect. 4: Of the causes of the violent passions

Sect. 5: Of the effects of custom

Sect. Of the influence of the imagination on passions

Sect. 7: Of contiguity and distance in space and time

Sect. 8: The same subject continued

Sect. 9: Of the direct passions

Sect. 10: Of curiosity, or the love of truth

Book 3: Of Morals

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Part 1: Of virtue and vice in general

Sect. 1: Moral distinctions not derived from reason

Sect. 2: Moral distinctions derived from a moral sense

Part 2: Of justice and injustice

Sect. 1: Justice, whether a natural or artificial virtue?

Sect. 2: Of the origin of justice and property

Sect. 3: Of the rules, which determine property

Sect. 4: Of the transference of property by consent

Sect. 5: Of the obligation of promises

Sect. 6: Some farther reflections concerning justice and injustice

Sect. 7: Of the origin of government

Sect. 8: Of the source of allegiance

Sect. 9: Of the measures of allegiance

Sect. 10: Of the objects of allegiance

Sect. 11: Of the laws of nations

Sect. 12: Of chastity and modesty

Part 3: Of the other virtues and vices

Sect. 1: Of the origin of the natural virtues and vices

Sect. 2: Of greatness of mind

Sect. 3. Of goodness and benevolence

Sect. 4: Of natural abilities

Sect. 5: Some farther reflections concerning the natural virtues

Sect. 6: Conclusion of this book

Appendix

An Abstract of ... A Treatise of Human Nature

PART 3 SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

Editors' Annotations

Annotations to the Treatise

Annotations to the Abstract

Glossary

References

Index