The contributions of eighteenth-century philosopher David Hume are sweeping and enduring. In this series, both established and rising scholars build on past Hume scholarship to present original viewpoints on central topics in his repertoire. Partly motivated by a greater awareness of the complexities of his historical context, many commentators in recent decades have moved away from relatively simple grand narratives of Hume, towards more detailed and focused scholarship on the multitude of issues that he addressed. These Elements reflect that development, while also paying serious attention to the continuing relevance of Hume’s work in a wide range of areas.
Many of these Elements discuss major topics in Hume’s epistemology and metaphysics, for example the nature of perceptions, reason, causation, the external world, personal identity and various types of scepticism. Another major group concerns his value theory and related areas, including ethics, the passions and action, aesthetics, politics and economics. Yet others cover topics bridging the theoretical and practical, such as religion, cognitive psychology, and the development and reception of his philosophy. New areas include the relation of Hume’s views to Asian philosophy and the implications of his thinking and writing about gender and race for his view of human nature.