Hume's Essays
A Critical Guide

Provides new research on key areas of Hume's readable and wide-ranging Essays, from historical, political and philosophical perspectives.

Max Skjönsberg (Edited by), Felix Waldmann (Edited by)

9781316517727, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 January 2025

306 pages
23.5 x 16 x 2 cm, 0.567 kg

'This work is exceptionally comprehensive, given the breadth of Hume's Essays, and offers, through consistently insightful analyses, a deeper understanding of the context of their reception, their content, their form, and their connections to Hume's other works. It is an invaluable tool for understanding the developments, shifts, and evolutions evident in the Scottish philosopher's thought on various issues, compared to his earlier works. It is intended for readers familiar with Hume's thought, but also more broadly for those interested in the history of the dissemination of Scottish Enlightenment works in the 18th century, and constitutes a precious contribution to Hume studies.' Iris Douzant, Archives de philosophie

David Hume's Essays, which were written and published at various junctures between 1741 and his death in 1776, offer his most accessible and often most profound statements on a range of subjects including politics, philosophy, aesthetics, and political economy. In Hume's lifetime, the readable and wide-ranging Essays acquired considerable fame throughout Europe and North America, influencing the writings of such diverse figures as James Madison and William Paley, yet they have not been given the same scholarly attention as his more famous philosophical works. This Critical Guide provides a series of in-depth studies of the Essays, as well as an account of the state of scholarship on the work. Thirteen chapters examine the Essays from historical, political and philosophical perspectives, with the aim of restoring the work to its rightful place among Hume's works and in intellectual history more broadly.

Introduction Max Skjönsberg and Felix Waldmann
Part I. Reception: 1. The reception of Hume's essays in eighteenth-century Britain Mark G. Spencer and Mikko Tolonen
2. The reception of Hume's essays in eighteenth-century Germany Lina Weber
3. The reception of Hume's essays in eighteenth-century France Laura Nicolì
Part II. Philosophy: 4. Hume's essays as Philosophy Margaret Watkins
5. 'The sentiments of sects': Epicurean, Stoic, Platonist, Sceptic Tim Stuart-Buttle
6. Aesthetics and the arts in Hume's essays Timothy M. Costelloe
7. Religion, anticlericalism and the worldly paths to happiness in Hume's essays R. J. W. Mills
Part III. Politics: 8. Reconstructing Oceana: Hume's 'idea of a perfect commonwealth' Danielle Charette
9. 'One of the most difficult problems, that can be met with': Hume on political parties Max Skjönsberg
10. Hume on eloquence and the failings of English Political Oratory Ross Carroll
11. Hume and population Sylvana Tomaselli
12. Hume on economic inequality Margaret Schabas
13. Hume and the politics of Money Tom Hopkins
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Western philosophy: c 1600 to c 1900 [HPCD]