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Hume's Progressive View of Human Nature

Hume's Progressive View of Human Nature Hume Studies , pp. 87-108 Hume's Progressive View of Human Nature MICHAEL GILL In the introduction to the Treatise, Hume maintains that scientific advance will come only through an accurate and comprehensive conception of human nature. He praises "some late philosophers in England, who have begun to put the science of man on a new footing" and declares his intention to build upon their work (T xvii).1 How much of the "science of man" that Hume goes on to develop is a recapitulation of the work of the other British philosophers and how much is new? When is Hume borrowing the insights of those who came before and when is he innovating? It is difficult to answer these questions, and not just because the rules of attribution in the eighteenth century were looser than in ours. For at times the verve with which Hume writes can lead one to think that he is in the grip of a new discovery, when he is in fact recounting the ideas of a predecessor. And at other times Hume puts others' ideas to work in a manner that they themselves never considered or would have actively opposed. There can be no http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Hume Studies Hume Society

Hume's Progressive View of Human Nature

Hume Studies , Volume 26 (1) – Jan 26, 2000

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Publisher
Hume Society
Copyright
Copyright © Hume Society
ISSN
1947-9921
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Abstract

Hume Studies , pp. 87-108 Hume's Progressive View of Human Nature MICHAEL GILL In the introduction to the Treatise, Hume maintains that scientific advance will come only through an accurate and comprehensive conception of human nature. He praises "some late philosophers in England, who have begun to put the science of man on a new footing" and declares his intention to build upon their work (T xvii).1 How much of the "science of man" that Hume goes on to develop is a recapitulation of the work of the other British philosophers and how much is new? When is Hume borrowing the insights of those who came before and when is he innovating? It is difficult to answer these questions, and not just because the rules of attribution in the eighteenth century were looser than in ours. For at times the verve with which Hume writes can lead one to think that he is in the grip of a new discovery, when he is in fact recounting the ideas of a predecessor. And at other times Hume puts others' ideas to work in a manner that they themselves never considered or would have actively opposed. There can be no

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Hume StudiesHume Society

Published: Jan 26, 2000

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