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A Treatise of Human Nature #3
A Treatise of Human Nature, Book 3: Of Morals
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment. Hume is often grouped with John Locke, George Berkeley, and a handful of others as a British Empiricist.
Beginning with his A Treatise of Human Nature (1739), Hume strove to create a total naturalistic "science of man" that examined the psychological basis of human nature. In stark opposition to the rationalists who preceded him, most notably Descartes, he concluded that desire rather than reason governed human behaviour, saying: "Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions." A prominent figure in the skeptical philosophical tradition and a strong empiricist, he argued against the existence of innate ideas, concluding instead that humans have knowledge only of things they directly experience. Thus he divides perceptions between strong and lively "impressions" or direct sensations and fainter "ideas," which are copied from impressions. He developed the position that mental behaviour is governed by "custom"; our use of induction, for example, is justified only by our idea of the "constant conjunction" of causes and effects. Without direct impressions of a metaphysical "self," he concluded that humans have no actual conception of the self, only of a bundle of sensations associated with the self. Hume advocated a compatibilist theory of free will that proved extremely influential on subsequent moral philosophy. He was also a sentimentalist who held that ethics are based on feelings rather than abstract moral principles. Hume also examined the normative is–ought problem. He held notoriously ambiguous views of Christianity, but famously challenged the argument from design in his Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779).
Kant credited Hume with waking him up from his "dogmatic slumbers" and Hume has proved extremely influential on subsequent philosophy, especially on utilitarianism, logical positivism, William James, philosophy of science, early analytic philosophy, cognitive philosophy, and other movements and thinkers. The philosopher Jerry Fodor proclaimed Hume's Treatise "the founding document of cognitive science." Also famous as a prose stylist, Hume pioneered the essay as a literary genre and engaged with contemporary intellectual luminaries such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith (who acknowledged Hume's influence on his economics and political philosophy), James Boswell, Joseph Butler, and Thomas Reid.
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment. Hume is often grouped with John Locke, George Berkeley, and a handful of others as a British Empiricist.
Beginning with his A Treatise of Human Nature (1739), Hume strove to create a total naturalistic "science of man" that examined the psychological basis of human nature. In stark opposition to the rationalists who preceded him, most notably Descartes, he concluded that desire rather than reason governed human behaviour, saying: "Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions." A prominent figure in the skeptical philosophical tradition and a strong empiricist, he argued against the existence of innate ideas, concluding instead that humans have knowledge only of things they directly experience. Thus he divides perceptions between strong and lively "impressions" or direct sensations and fainter "ideas," which are copied from impressions. He developed the position that mental behaviour is governed by "custom"; our use of induction, for example, is justified only by our idea of the "constant conjunction" of causes and effects. Without direct impressions of a metaphysical "self," he concluded that humans have no actual conception of the self, only of a bundle of sensations associated with the self. Hume advocated a compatibilist theory of free will that proved extremely influential on subsequent moral philosophy. He was also a sentimentalist who held that ethics are based on feelings rather than abstract moral principles. Hume also examined the normative is–ought problem. He held notoriously ambiguous views of Christianity, but famously challenged the argument from design in his Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779).
Kant credited Hume with waking him up from his "dogmatic slumbers" and Hume has proved extremely influential on subsequent philosophy, especially on utilitarianism, logical positivism, William James, philosophy of science, early analytic philosophy, cognitive philosophy, and other movements and thinkers. The philosopher Jerry Fodor proclaimed Hume's Treatise "the founding document of cognitive science." Also famous as a prose stylist, Hume pioneered the essay as a literary genre and engaged with contemporary intellectual luminaries such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith (who acknowledged Hume's influence on his economics and political philosophy), James Boswell, Joseph Butler, and Thomas Reid.
- GenresPhilosophy
137 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1740
2 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
David Hume
3,143 books1,683 followersDavid Hume was a Scottish historian, philosopher, economist, diplomat and essayist known today especially for his radical philosophical empiricism and scepticism.
In light of Hume's central role in the Scottish Enlightenment, and in the history of Western philosophy, Bryan Magee judged him as a philosopher "widely regarded as the greatest who has ever written in the English language." While Hume failed in his attempts to start a university career, he took part in various diplomatic and military missions of the time. He wrote The History of England which became a bestseller, and it became the standard history of England in its day.
His empirical approach places him with John Locke, George Berkeley, and a handful of others at the time as a British Empiricist.
Beginning with his A Treatise of Human Nature (1739), Hume strove to create a total naturalistic "science of man" that examined the psychological basis of human nature. In opposition to the rationalists who preceded him, most notably René Descartes, he concluded that desire rather than reason governed human behaviour. He also argued against the existence of innate ideas, concluding that humans have knowledge only of things they directly experience. He argued that inductive reasoning and therefore causality cannot be justified rationally. Our assumptions in favour of these result from custom and constant conjunction rather than logic. He concluded that humans have no actual conception of the self, only of a bundle of sensations associated with the self.
Hume's compatibilist theory of free will proved extremely influential on subsequent moral philosophy. He was also a sentimentalist who held that ethics are based on feelings rather than abstract moral principles, and expounded the is–ought problem.
Hume has proved extremely influential on subsequent western philosophy, especially on utilitarianism, logical positivism, William James, the philosophy of science, early analytic philosophy, cognitive philosophy, theology and other movements and thinkers. In addition, according to philosopher Jerry Fodor, Hume's Treatise is "the founding document of cognitive science". Hume engaged with contemporary intellectual luminaries such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, James Boswell, and Adam Smith (who acknowledged Hume's influence on his economics and political philosophy). Immanuel Kant credited Hume with awakening him from "dogmatic slumbers".
In light of Hume's central role in the Scottish Enlightenment, and in the history of Western philosophy, Bryan Magee judged him as a philosopher "widely regarded as the greatest who has ever written in the English language." While Hume failed in his attempts to start a university career, he took part in various diplomatic and military missions of the time. He wrote The History of England which became a bestseller, and it became the standard history of England in its day.
His empirical approach places him with John Locke, George Berkeley, and a handful of others at the time as a British Empiricist.
Beginning with his A Treatise of Human Nature (1739), Hume strove to create a total naturalistic "science of man" that examined the psychological basis of human nature. In opposition to the rationalists who preceded him, most notably René Descartes, he concluded that desire rather than reason governed human behaviour. He also argued against the existence of innate ideas, concluding that humans have knowledge only of things they directly experience. He argued that inductive reasoning and therefore causality cannot be justified rationally. Our assumptions in favour of these result from custom and constant conjunction rather than logic. He concluded that humans have no actual conception of the self, only of a bundle of sensations associated with the self.
Hume's compatibilist theory of free will proved extremely influential on subsequent moral philosophy. He was also a sentimentalist who held that ethics are based on feelings rather than abstract moral principles, and expounded the is–ought problem.
Hume has proved extremely influential on subsequent western philosophy, especially on utilitarianism, logical positivism, William James, the philosophy of science, early analytic philosophy, cognitive philosophy, theology and other movements and thinkers. In addition, according to philosopher Jerry Fodor, Hume's Treatise is "the founding document of cognitive science". Hume engaged with contemporary intellectual luminaries such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, James Boswell, and Adam Smith (who acknowledged Hume's influence on his economics and political philosophy). Immanuel Kant credited Hume with awakening him from "dogmatic slumbers".
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 26, 2023
📚 Tratado de la naturaleza humana: Parte III - La moral - David Hume
🌟🌟🌟🌟½
La tercera parte del "Tratado de la naturaleza humana" se centra en el terreno de la ética y la moral. Hume se sumerge en la intrincada naturaleza de nuestras decisiones morales, intentando desentrañar de dónde provienen y cómo operan nuestras nociones del bien y el mal.
🔍 Resumen:
David Hume explora la base de nuestros juicios morales, argumentando que no derivan de la razón, sino de la pasión. Según Hume, es el sentimiento y no la lógica lo que nos lleva a hacer juicios sobre lo que es correcto o incorrecto. Esta sección del tratado ofrece una perspectiva refrescante sobre la moralidad, alejada de los rígidos sistemas éticos y más cercana a la experiencia humana cotidiana.
✍️ Pros:
La perspectiva única de Hume sobre la moralidad es revolucionaria y sigue siendo relevante hoy en día.
Su argumento de que la ética se basa en la pasión y no en la razón desafía muchas nociones tradicionales de la filosofía moral.
El texto está lleno de ejemplos y argumentos persuasivos que hacen que las ideas complejas sean más accesibles.
⚠️ Contras:
Como con muchas obras filosóficas, algunos argumentos pueden requerir varias lecturas para ser completamente entendidos.
Algunos pueden encontrar su enfoque sobre la moralidad basada en la emoción un tanto subjetivo.
Conclusión:
La Parte III del "Tratado de la naturaleza humana" es una exploración profunda y reflexiva sobre la naturaleza de la moralidad. Hume ofrece una perspectiva que es tanto provocativa como enriquecedora. Recomiendo esta sección del tratado a aquellos interesados en una comprensión más matizada y basada en la emoción de la ética. Es una joya en el pensamiento ético que merece ser explorada.
🌟🌟🌟🌟½
La tercera parte del "Tratado de la naturaleza humana" se centra en el terreno de la ética y la moral. Hume se sumerge en la intrincada naturaleza de nuestras decisiones morales, intentando desentrañar de dónde provienen y cómo operan nuestras nociones del bien y el mal.
🔍 Resumen:
David Hume explora la base de nuestros juicios morales, argumentando que no derivan de la razón, sino de la pasión. Según Hume, es el sentimiento y no la lógica lo que nos lleva a hacer juicios sobre lo que es correcto o incorrecto. Esta sección del tratado ofrece una perspectiva refrescante sobre la moralidad, alejada de los rígidos sistemas éticos y más cercana a la experiencia humana cotidiana.
✍️ Pros:
La perspectiva única de Hume sobre la moralidad es revolucionaria y sigue siendo relevante hoy en día.
Su argumento de que la ética se basa en la pasión y no en la razón desafía muchas nociones tradicionales de la filosofía moral.
El texto está lleno de ejemplos y argumentos persuasivos que hacen que las ideas complejas sean más accesibles.
⚠️ Contras:
Como con muchas obras filosóficas, algunos argumentos pueden requerir varias lecturas para ser completamente entendidos.
Algunos pueden encontrar su enfoque sobre la moralidad basada en la emoción un tanto subjetivo.
Conclusión:
La Parte III del "Tratado de la naturaleza humana" es una exploración profunda y reflexiva sobre la naturaleza de la moralidad. Hume ofrece una perspectiva que es tanto provocativa como enriquecedora. Recomiendo esta sección del tratado a aquellos interesados en una comprensión más matizada y basada en la emoción de la ética. Es una joya en el pensamiento ético que merece ser explorada.
Displaying 1 of 1 review