Selected Essays (Oxford World's Classics)

David Hume is considered one of the great philosophers of the modern era. The father of skepticism his attack on religion and reason are still important in today's conversation. Little is known about his essays, and his social critiques, and it was wonderful to go through and get acquainted with. His writing is high but digestible and I was taken aback by how conservative he was and how prescient his views still are, especially on political economy.

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This is not only a brief defense of his views, logically supported against the back drop of social confines and flutes of this time. David Hume is as relevant in today's billowing gusts of Christianity, hypocrisy, or parochial gossip that passes for journalism; perhaps more so, as his concept of human understanding does not disband consequences from ones' actions. Religion does that. How else can you explain an ex-state governor, whore-monger, or convicted felons as paid commentators on evening news broadcasts? In Hume's day, I doubt the philosophers or great thinkers of the day ever worried that religion would "crowd out" logic, human values, and societal adherence to innately held cultural virtues. Is that why American politicians now, and with a shameless impunity unimaginable in countries of a better educated electorate, embrace their so called "faith" much closer to their vests than they do the disappearing notion of "honor," as even the dimmest among them realizes religion will trump any effort to link obligation, whether civil, moral, or political (amoral) to a morally defensible framework of "ethics." Read this. We need to bring better educated persons back into government, allow them back into our universities, and never stop questioning the validity of ideas.

First, I am assuming the essays in the Oxford edition are sufficiently similar to the LibertyClassics edition (the latter a far more elegant paperback and includes "Essays Written and Withdrawn"). Second, these essays (including one on how to write one in the L/C edition) are more in the tradition of Montaigne, Marcus Arelius, and Emerson, to cite some exemplars of the tradition, meaning that these essays are not as logically rigorous as his "Treatise on Human Nature," "Essays Concerning Human Understanding," "Principles of Morals," and "Natural Religion," but are more an astute and empirical observation of what causes pleasure and satisfaction versus what causes discomfort and uneasiness. This emprical motif permeates all the essays. The "moral" essays are a continuation of Vol. III of his "Treatise on Human Nature," and "Principles of Morals," and contribute to how our "tastes" and "utility," rather than apriori logic, delimit and describe moral ideas and ideals. His "political" essays are the most prominent among the group and are often prescient of subsequent developments, clearly anticipating a more democratic society, but they often come across as antediluvian, despite Hume's analytical dexterity and his compassionate motivation. The "literary" essays are the least in number and the most impotent of his contributions. Not that they lack value or interest, they simply lack novelty or new understanding. All his essays have an empirical bent, which should not surprise anyone familiar with Hume's other works. Many of these 48 essays have perennial value, while others are clearly cotemporaneous with his time and place (mid-18th century England). In either case, they contribute to our understanding of the period, while making perspicacious observations about subjects that are both endearing and enduring. The LibertyClassics' edition uses current locution and spellings in Caslon 540 typeface on durable, acid-free paper, making Hume's lucid and elegant prose an even more attractive presentation. Highly recommended.

Hume is known today primarily for his seminal philosophical works. He regarded himself, however, as a man of letters who contributed to many areas and he was known best to his contemporaries as a historian. This nice collection of essays displays the breadth of Hume's interests and his well developed writing style. Hume was particularly interested in essays which would bring important topics before a broad public and wrote in an accessible and often entertaining style. Some of Hume's best known essays on philosophical and religous topics are included in this collection. What may be of greatest interest are some of the lesser known essays which display both the versatility and the power of Hume's intellect. Included are essays on economics and international trade, and also some political theory. Hume was an opponent of mercantilist ideas, supporting the largely correct notion that trade would enrich all parties. His political theory is particularly interesting. In contradistinction to the widely accepted ideas of the time, Hume suggested that republican governments could be stable if the size of the republic was large enough to encompass enough competing groups to prevent one from assuming complete control. It is known that James Madison read Hume in the period leading up to the Constitutional Convention and many scholars suspect that Hume's ideas were the germ of the defense of republicanism/federalism developed by Madison in the Federalist Papers. A momentous idea with momentous consequences.

Non ho ancora letto il libro, ma non dubito che hume sia all'altezza della spesa. Il libro però è arrivato con la copertina rovinata e parzialmente strappata anche se ho ordinato il libro nuovo.

Muy buena selección y edición de los ensayos de Hume.

The book arrived promptly and was as described. I am very satisfied.

really great reading on all sorts of topics. of course a little dated but also surprising and charming to see how hume cought on to the embryos of modern realizations in philosophy and science.

Amazing prose from a genius still relevant today. Essential for anyone interested in life and philosophy