Cambridge University Press eBooks· 2012· Book chapter
AN ENQUIRY CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING
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- 2012year
Short summary
David Hume's 1748 philosophical work argues that human knowledge is limited and heavily relies on non-rational mental habits, not pure reason.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Human knowledge is fundamentally limited.
- We rely heavily on non-rational mental habits.
- The work addresses free will and religious knowledge.
- It concludes with a defense of moderate skepticism.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, first published in 1748, is a concise statement of Hume's central philosophical positions. It develops an account of human mental functioning which emphasizes the limits of human knowledge and the extent of our reliance on (non-rational) mental habits. It then applies that account to questions of free will and religious knowledge before closing with a defence of moderate scepticism. This volume, which presents a modified version of the definitive 1772 edition of the work, offers helpful annotation for the student reader, together with an introduction that sets this profoundly influential work in its philosophical and historical contexts. The volume also includes a selection of other works by Hume that throw light on both the circumstances of the work's genesis and its key themes and arguments.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Cambridge University Press eBooks, 2012 · DOI ↗
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Field: General Social Sciences
General Social SciencesSocial Sciences