Reason And Conduct In Hume And His Predecessors

Author : S. Tweyman
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 263 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9789401164320

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Reason and Conduct in Hume and his Predecessors by S. Tweyman Pdf

Can reason play a significant role in making moral distinctions and in generating moral precepts? In this book I attempt to provide Hume's answers to these questions in the light of his employment of the 'Experimen tal Method', his doctrine of perceptions, and his analysis of reason. In addition to this, attention is paid to some of Hume's rationalist predeces sors - most notably, Samuel Clarke and William Wollaston - in order to assess Hume's critique of the rationalists. Regarding the preparation of this book I wish to thank Professor Ronald J. Butler who introduced me to Hume's writings. Professors W. J. Huggett, R. F. McRae, and F. E. Sparshott each read the original draft of this book and provided me with extremely valuable comments and criticisms. My wife Barbara Tweyman and my mother Fay Tweyman provided me with constant support throughout the time I was preparing this book, and for this, as well as for many other things, I will always be grateful. My father-in-law, the late Joseph Millstone, a man I dearly loved and respected, also provided me with support during the time I was working on this book. His death is for me an incalculable loss, and his memory is something I will always cherish.

Author : Stanley Tweyman
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 199 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2008-01-01
Category : Reason
ISBN : 0882061143

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Reason and Conduct in Hume and His Predecessors by Stanley Tweyman Pdf

Author : David Hume
Publisher : BoD - Books on Demand
Page : 156 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2022-12-17
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9791041940387

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An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals by David Hume Pdf

An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (EPM) is a book by Scottish enlightenment philosopher David Hume. In it, Hume argues (among other things) that the foundations of morals lie with sentiment, not reason. An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals is the enquiry subsequent to the Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (EHU). Thus, it is often referred to as "the second Enquiry". It was originally published in 1751, three years after the first Enquiry. Hume first discusses ethics in A Treatise of Human Nature (in Book 3 - "Of Morals"). He later extracted and expounded upon the ideas he proposed there in his second Enquiry. In his short autobiographical work, My Own Life (1776), Hume states that his second Enquiry is "of all my writings, historical, philosophical, or literary, incomparably the best."

Author : David Hume
Publisher : VM eBooks
Page : 142 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2016-11-10
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume Pdf

Moral philosophy, or the science of human nature, may be treated after two different manners; each of which has its peculiar merit, and may contribute to the entertainment, instruction, and reformation of mankind. The one considers man chiefly as born for action; and as influenced in his measures by taste and sentiment; pursuing one object, and avoiding another, according to the value which these objects seem to possess, and according to the light in which they present themselves. As virtue, of all objects, is allowed to be the most valuable, this species of philosophers paint her in the most amiable colours; borrowing all helps from poetry and eloquence, and treating their subject in an easy and obvious manner, and such as is best fitted to please the imagination, and engage the affections. They select the most striking observations and instances from common life; place opposite characters in a proper contrast; and alluring us into the paths of virtue by the views of glory and happiness, direct our steps in these paths by the soundest precepts and most illustrious examples. They make us feel the difference between vice and virtue; they excite and regulate our sentiments; and so they can but bend our hearts to the love of probity and true honour, they think, that they have fully attained the end of all their labours.

Author : David Owen
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 1999-12-02
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780191519390

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Hume's Reason by David Owen Pdf

David Owen explores Hume's account of reason and its role in human understanding, seen in the context of other notable accounts by philosophers of the early modern period. Many of the most famous problems that Hume discusses, and many of the positions that he advocates, are expressed in terms of reason. It is central to his arguments about induction, belief, scepticism, the passions, and moral distinctions; to understand Hume's influential views on these matters, we must understand what his view of reason is. The book begins with chapters on the theories of reasoning put forward by Hume's notable predecessors Descartes and Locke. Owen shows that Hume followed them in rejecting a formal, deductive account of inference, in favour of a new naturalistic account. But he went farther, in what we now call the argument concerning induction, by showing that no account of reason as a separate faculty could explain our inferences to beliefs in the unobserved. Hume offers instead an associationist account of probable reasoning and a new theory of belief. The picture of reason as an independent faculty is replaced with an explanation of reasoning in terms of properties of the imagination. Hume's Reason offers a new interpretation of some of Hume's central ideas, and a treatment of reason which will be illuminating not just to historians of modern philosophy but to all philosophers who are concerned with the workings of human cognition.

Author : Nigel E. Simmonds
Publisher : Manchester University Press
Page : 152 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 1984
Category : Jurisprudence
ISBN : 0719010896

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The Decline of Juridical Reason by Nigel E. Simmonds Pdf

Author : W. Brand
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2001-11-30
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 1402002610

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Hume’s Theory of Moral Judgment by W. Brand Pdf

This study offers an overall interpretation of Hume's Treatise of Human Nature. I have emphasized throughout the dialectic between associationism and a theory of critical judgment - the "combat" of Book I -which con tinues in Books II and III and with no apparent winner. A theory of critical judgment is fIrst worked out in Book I under what Hume calls "general rules." The theory explains how unreasonable judgments may be made reasonable and is made use of again in Book III to correct partial evalua tions. Two sorts of general rules compete for prescriptive claims and two sides of human nature, the untutored and the more cultivated and reflective, contribute to science and morality. of David Hume by Annette Baier I was fIrst introduced to the philosophy when she conducted a seminar on the Treatise at the Graduate Center of The City University of New York. Much of the enthusiasm I have sustained for Hume has been due to the teachings of Professor Baier and to the conversations I have had with her. I have profIted from the encouragement and suggestions of Nicholas Capaldi just prior to beginning the work. Charles Landesman, Martin Tamny, and Stephan Baumrin read earlier versions of the manuscript and offered many constructive criticisms. Joram Haber was readily available to hear out my ideas. I am grateful to my wife, Marianne, and children, Anna and Aaron, for their patience and support throughout the project.

Author : Rudiger Bittner
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 236 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2001-07-19
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0198032838

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Doing Things for Reasons by Rudiger Bittner Pdf

What exactly are the reasons we do things, and how are they related to the resulting actions? Bittner explores this question and proposes an answer: a reason is a response to that state of affairs. Elegantly written, this work is a substantial contribution to the fields of rationality, ethics, and action theory.

Author : Dafydd Mills Daniel
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 351 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2020-10-22
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9783030522032

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Ethical Rationalism and Secularisation in the British Enlightenment by Dafydd Mills Daniel Pdf

This book reassesses the ethics of reason in the Age of the Reason, making use of the neglected category of conscience. Arguing that conscience was a central feature of British Enlightenment ethical rationalism, the book explores the links between Enlightenment philosophy and modern secularisation, while responding to longstanding criticisms of rational intuitionism and the analogy between mathematics and morals, derived from David Hume and Immanuel Kant. Questioning in what sense British Enlightenment ethical rationalism can be associated with a secularising ‘Enlightenment project’, Daniel investigates the extent to which contemporary, and secular liberal, invocations of reason and conscience rely on the early modern Christian metaphysics they have otherwise disregarded. The chapters cover a rich collection of subjects, ranging from the Enlightenment’s secular legacy, reason and conscience in the history of ethics, and controversies in the Scottish Enlightenment, to the role of British moralists such as John Locke, Joseph Butler and Adam Smith in the secularisation of reason and conscience. Each chapter expertly refines Enlightenment ethical rationalism by reinterpreting its most influential proponents in eighteenth-century Britain – the followers of ‘Isaac Newton’s bulldog’ Samuel Clarke – including Richard Price (Edmund Burke’s opponent over the French Revolution) and John Witherspoon (the only clergyman to sign the US declaration of Independence).

Author : Alan Bailey,Daniel Jayes O'Brien
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 473 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2012-03-08
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781441114617

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The Continuum Companion to Hume by Alan Bailey,Daniel Jayes O'Brien Pdf

David Hume (1711-1776), philosopher, historian, and essayist, is widely considered to be Britain's greatest philosopher.One of the leading intellectual figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, his major works and central ideas, especially his radical empiricism and his critique of the pretensions of philosophical rationalism, remain hugely influential on contemporary philosophers. This comprehensive and accessible guide to Hume's life and work includes 21 specially commissioned essays, written by a team of leading experts, covering every aspect of Hume's thought. The Companion presents details of Hume's life, historical and philosophical context, a comprehensive overview of all the key themes and topics apparent in his work, including his accounts of causal reasoning, scepticism, the soul and the self, action, reason, free will, miracles, natural religion, politics, human nature, women, economics and history, and an account of his reception and enduring influence. This is an essential reference tool for anyone working in the fields of Hume Studies and Eighteenth-Century Philosophy.

Author : Alan Bailey,Dan O'Brien
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 472 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2015-07-30
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781474243940

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The Bloomsbury Companion to Hume by Alan Bailey,Dan O'Brien Pdf

David Hume (1711-1776), philosopher, historian, and essayist, is widely considered to be Britain's greatest philosopher. One of the leading intellectual figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, his major works and central ideas, especially his radical empiricism and his critique of the pretensions of philosophical rationalism, remain hugely influential on contemporary philosophers. This comprehensive and accessible guide to Hume's life and work includes 21 specially commissioned essays, written by a team of leading experts, covering every aspect of Hume's thought. The Companion presents details of Hume's life, historical and philosophical context, providing students with a comprehensive overview of all the key themes and topics apparent in his work, including his accounts of causal reasoning, scepticism, the soul and the self, action, reason, free will, miracles, natural religion, politics, human nature, women, economics and history, and an account of his reception and enduring influence. This textbook is indispensable to anyone studying in the areas of Hume Studies, British, and eighteenth-century philosophy.

Author : S. Tweyman
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 178 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9789400943414

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Scepticism and Belief in Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by S. Tweyman Pdf

In the pages that follow, an attempt is made to examine those sections of the Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion which deal with the Argument from Design - the argument which purports to prove that certain observed similarities between the design of the world and machines of human contrivance countenance reasoning by analogy to the conclusion that the cause of the design of the world resembles human intelligence. The sections which deal with the Argument from Design, and with which I am therefore concerned, are Parts I through VIII and Part XII. I argue that a clue to Hume's discussion of the Argument from Design is to be found in Section XII of the first Enquiry, in which Hume presents his most thorough analysis of philosophic dogmatism and scepticism. The Dialogues, as will be shown, follows precisely Hume's recommendations in this Section for bringing the dogmatist to the position which Hume himself endorses - 'mitigated scepticism. ' It is, then, the position of the mitigated sceptic which is elaborated in Part XII of the Dialogues. The belief in an intelligent designer of the world is shown to be akin to certain other beliefs discussed by Hume - causality, physical objects, a continuing self - which are usually referred to in the literature as 'natural beliefs. ' The mitigated sceptic's defense of the unknowability of the divine nature is seen to be in accordance with Hume's view that whatever is believed naturally cannot be known or understood.

Author : David Fate Norton
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 420 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 1993-10-29
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0521387108

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The Cambridge Companion to Hume by David Fate Norton Pdf

David Hume is, arguably, the most important philosopher ever to have written in English. Although best known for his contributions to epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion, Hume also made substantial and influential contributions to psychology and the philosophy of mind, ethics, the philosophy of science, political and economic theory, political and social history, and, to a lesser extent, aesthetic and literary theory. All facets of Hume's output are discussed in this volume, the first genuinely comprehensive overview of his work. The picture that emerges is of a thinker who, though critical to the point of scepticism, was nonetheless able to build on that scepticism a profoundly important, and still viable, constructive philosophy.

Author : Kenneth R. Merrill
Publisher : Scarecrow Press
Page : 377 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2008-08-22
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780810862531

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Historical Dictionary of Hume's Philosophy by Kenneth R. Merrill Pdf

The philosopher David Hume was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on April 26, 1711. Known for his re-thinking of causation, morality, and religion, Hume has left a lasting mark on history. James Madison, the 'father' of the U.S. Constitution, drew heavily on Hume's writing, especially his 'Idea of Perfect Commonwealth,' which combated the belief at the time that a large country could not sustain a republican form of government. Hume's writing also influenced Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. The Historical Dictionary of Hume's Philosophy is the only Hume dictionary in existence. The book provides a substantial account of David Hume's life and the times in which he lived, and it provides an overview of his philosophical doctrines. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over a hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries covering key terms, as well as brief discussions of Hume's major works and of some of his most important predecessors, contemporaries, and successors.

Author : Rachel Cohon
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2008-10-02
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780191556272

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Hume's Morality by Rachel Cohon Pdf

Rachel Cohon offers an original interpretation of the moral philosophy of David Hume, focusing on two areas. Firstly, his metaethics. Cohon reinterprets Hume's claim that moral distinctions are not derived from reason and explains why he makes it. She finds that Hume did not actually hold three "Humean" claims: 1) that beliefs alone cannot move us to act, 2) that evaluative propositions cannot be validly inferred from purely factual propositions, or 3) that moral judgments lack truth value. According to Hume, human beings discern moral virtues and vices by means of feeling or emotion in a way rather like sensing; but this also gives the moral judge a truth-apt idea of a virtue or vice as a felt property. Secondly, Cohon examines the artificial virtues. Hume says that although many virtues are refinements of natural human tendencies, others (such as honesty) are constructed by social convention to make cooperation possible; and some of these generate paradoxes. She argues that Hume sees these traits as prosthetic virtues that compensate for deficiencies in human nature. However, their true status clashes with our common-sense conception of a virtue, and so has been concealed, giving rise to the paradoxes.