Hubert Schwyzer
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198248293
- eISBN:
- 9780191681110
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198248293.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This book is about Kant's account of human understanding, of our capacity to form concepts of, and to be conscious of, things in the world. It argues that the conditions which Kant lays down for ...
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This book is about Kant's account of human understanding, of our capacity to form concepts of, and to be conscious of, things in the world. It argues that the conditions which Kant lays down for understanding — conditions about the autonomy of thought, and about the relation of concepts to objects and of language to experience — cannot be satisfied within his overall picture of understanding as ‘representing something to oneself.’ The argument proceeds through a discussion of the nature of concept-possession and the relation of concepts to objects, to what it is to be conscious of anything, and what it is to follow a rule. Wittgenstein's insights on these issues have a direct bearing on Kant's problems. If Kant's conditions are to be satisfied, understanding must be seen, not as a capacity for mental representation, for having ideas, but as a capacity for action.Less
This book is about Kant's account of human understanding, of our capacity to form concepts of, and to be conscious of, things in the world. It argues that the conditions which Kant lays down for understanding — conditions about the autonomy of thought, and about the relation of concepts to objects and of language to experience — cannot be satisfied within his overall picture of understanding as ‘representing something to oneself.’ The argument proceeds through a discussion of the nature of concept-possession and the relation of concepts to objects, to what it is to be conscious of anything, and what it is to follow a rule. Wittgenstein's insights on these issues have a direct bearing on Kant's problems. If Kant's conditions are to be satisfied, understanding must be seen, not as a capacity for mental representation, for having ideas, but as a capacity for action.
Robert J. Fogelin
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195387391
- eISBN:
- 9780199866489
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195387391.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This work is a narrative study of the interactions between Hume's naturalism and his skepticism as they unfold in the Treatise of Human Nature and the Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. More ...
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This work is a narrative study of the interactions between Hume's naturalism and his skepticism as they unfold in the Treatise of Human Nature and the Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. More specifically, it examines the way in which the relationship between Hume's naturalism and skepticism shifts dramatically as he delves more deeply into the operations of the human understanding. At first, Hume's skeptical arguments largely play a subservient role of eliminating intellectualist competitors to his naturalistic account of belief formation. This is true, with one minor exception, in the first three parts of book 1 of the Treatise. The situation changes radically in part 4 of book 1, where Hume's investigation of human faculties reveals them to be capricious and unreliable. Hume finds the situation so dire that he comes to question whether anyone, himself included, possesses mental faculties capable of producing a science of human nature. This is Hume's skeptical crisis. The remainder of the book examines Hume's various efforts to extract himself from this difficulty, ending, in the Enquiry, with the claim that a suitable mitigated, or moderate, form of skepticism can arise by bringing radical Pyrrhonian doubts into a proper balance with common instinctive beliefs.Less
This work is a narrative study of the interactions between Hume's naturalism and his skepticism as they unfold in the Treatise of Human Nature and the Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. More specifically, it examines the way in which the relationship between Hume's naturalism and skepticism shifts dramatically as he delves more deeply into the operations of the human understanding. At first, Hume's skeptical arguments largely play a subservient role of eliminating intellectualist competitors to his naturalistic account of belief formation. This is true, with one minor exception, in the first three parts of book 1 of the Treatise. The situation changes radically in part 4 of book 1, where Hume's investigation of human faculties reveals them to be capricious and unreliable. Hume finds the situation so dire that he comes to question whether anyone, himself included, possesses mental faculties capable of producing a science of human nature. This is Hume's skeptical crisis. The remainder of the book examines Hume's various efforts to extract himself from this difficulty, ending, in the Enquiry, with the claim that a suitable mitigated, or moderate, form of skepticism can arise by bringing radical Pyrrhonian doubts into a proper balance with common instinctive beliefs.
Andrew Stewart Skinner
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198233343
- eISBN:
- 9780191678974
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198233343.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History
The second edition of this guide to Adam Smith's system of thought has been fully updated to reflect recent developments in Smith scholarship and the author's experience of teaching Smith to a ...
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The second edition of this guide to Adam Smith's system of thought has been fully updated to reflect recent developments in Smith scholarship and the author's experience of teaching Smith to a student audience. The material from the first edition has been extensively rewritten, and four new chapters have been added, covering Smith's essays on the exercise of human understanding, and his relationship to Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, and Sir James Steuart. The book places Smith's system of social, and moral, science firmly within the context of contemporary British and Continental intellectual history, dealing in particular detail with the founders of the Scottish Enlightenment and with the French Physiocrats. The essays explore Smith's own reception among his peers and successors. The chapters in this volume have been developed from a lecture course on ‘The Age and Ideas of Adam Smith’, taught to senior undergraduate and graduate students in political economy.Less
The second edition of this guide to Adam Smith's system of thought has been fully updated to reflect recent developments in Smith scholarship and the author's experience of teaching Smith to a student audience. The material from the first edition has been extensively rewritten, and four new chapters have been added, covering Smith's essays on the exercise of human understanding, and his relationship to Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, and Sir James Steuart. The book places Smith's system of social, and moral, science firmly within the context of contemporary British and Continental intellectual history, dealing in particular detail with the founders of the Scottish Enlightenment and with the French Physiocrats. The essays explore Smith's own reception among his peers and successors. The chapters in this volume have been developed from a lecture course on ‘The Age and Ideas of Adam Smith’, taught to senior undergraduate and graduate students in political economy.
Paul Russell
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195110333
- eISBN:
- 9780199872084
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195110333.003.0015
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter provides a general interpretation of the irreligious character of Hume's sceptical intentions in the Treatise. Although the Treatise remains the primary concern, the discussion also ...
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This chapter provides a general interpretation of the irreligious character of Hume's sceptical intentions in the Treatise. Although the Treatise remains the primary concern, the discussion also covers Hume's later philosophical works. Hume's basic aim is to reveal the “weakness and uncertainty of mere human reason" so that he can show that all speculations that reach beyond “the common affairs of life"—specifically, those that are encouraged by “superstition"—should be abandoned. This is the principal lesson of the Conclusion of Book I (T, 1.4.7). This general account of Hume's skeptical commitments serves as the foundation for a solution to the problem of the “riddle” of the Treatise. Less
This chapter provides a general interpretation of the irreligious character of Hume's sceptical intentions in the Treatise. Although the Treatise remains the primary concern, the discussion also covers Hume's later philosophical works. Hume's basic aim is to reveal the “weakness and uncertainty of mere human reason" so that he can show that all speculations that reach beyond “the common affairs of life"—specifically, those that are encouraged by “superstition"—should be abandoned. This is the principal lesson of the Conclusion of Book I (T, 1.4.7). This general account of Hume's skeptical commitments serves as the foundation for a solution to the problem of the “riddle” of the Treatise.
Michal Valco
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195373431
- eISBN:
- 9780199871681
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195373431.003.0017
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The chapter wonders if scholars have overemphasized Edwards’s openness to the salvation of non-Christians, and points instead to Edwards’s recognition of the tension between hopeful soteriology and ...
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The chapter wonders if scholars have overemphasized Edwards’s openness to the salvation of non-Christians, and points instead to Edwards’s recognition of the tension between hopeful soteriology and the limits of human understanding.Less
The chapter wonders if scholars have overemphasized Edwards’s openness to the salvation of non-Christians, and points instead to Edwards’s recognition of the tension between hopeful soteriology and the limits of human understanding.
J. L. Mackie
- Published in print:
- 1976
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198750369
- eISBN:
- 9780191597947
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198750366.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
In this book, Mackie critically examines various philosophical problems raised in John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Mackie carefully considers Locke's treatment of these problems, ...
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In this book, Mackie critically examines various philosophical problems raised in John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Mackie carefully considers Locke's treatment of these problems, but also proposes his own resolution of the related issues in contemporary philosophy. In the course of these discussions, Mackie also proposes his theory of a realism combined with a moderate empiricism. In Ch. 1, Mackie considers the distinction between primary and secondary qualities and argues that they might still have some legitimate application. In Ch. 2, he also defends a version of Locke's representative theory of perception. In Ch. 3, Locke's theory of substance is examined and compared with the theories of more recent philosophers, such as Saul Kripke. In Ch. 4, Mackie defends Locke's theory of abstraction against Berkeley's criticisms and suggests his own revision of the theory considered in relation to the problem of universals. In Chs. 5 and 6, Mackie examines and revises Locke's consideration of identity over time and personal identity. Finally, in Ch. 7, Mackie critically discusses Locke's rejection of innate ideas and considers the possibility of a reconciliation of innate ideas and empiricism.Less
In this book, Mackie critically examines various philosophical problems raised in John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Mackie carefully considers Locke's treatment of these problems, but also proposes his own resolution of the related issues in contemporary philosophy. In the course of these discussions, Mackie also proposes his theory of a realism combined with a moderate empiricism. In Ch. 1, Mackie considers the distinction between primary and secondary qualities and argues that they might still have some legitimate application. In Ch. 2, he also defends a version of Locke's representative theory of perception. In Ch. 3, Locke's theory of substance is examined and compared with the theories of more recent philosophers, such as Saul Kripke. In Ch. 4, Mackie defends Locke's theory of abstraction against Berkeley's criticisms and suggests his own revision of the theory considered in relation to the problem of universals. In Chs. 5 and 6, Mackie examines and revises Locke's consideration of identity over time and personal identity. Finally, in Ch. 7, Mackie critically discusses Locke's rejection of innate ideas and considers the possibility of a reconciliation of innate ideas and empiricism.
Stephen Buckle
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199271146
- eISBN:
- 9780191699498
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271146.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
To cast David Hume as a player in the major drama of the new philosophy against the old may appear to make him Newtonian to a degree no longer seriously defensible. To qualify this view by adding ...
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To cast David Hume as a player in the major drama of the new philosophy against the old may appear to make him Newtonian to a degree no longer seriously defensible. To qualify this view by adding that he is seeking to purify the new philosophy, even against some of its most notable defenders and interpreters, may seem only to ease the problem, and not to remove it. This is because some significant modern studies have challenged the validity of Hume's Newtonian credentials. The opponents of this carefully qualified, undeniably realist outlook are the Pyrrhonians and the philosophical dogmatists. So the task of the Enquiry is to show that the experimental philosophy, properly understood, has skeptical implications that undercut all the dogmatists, old and new, secular and not religious, and the body of the work is structured accordingly.Less
To cast David Hume as a player in the major drama of the new philosophy against the old may appear to make him Newtonian to a degree no longer seriously defensible. To qualify this view by adding that he is seeking to purify the new philosophy, even against some of its most notable defenders and interpreters, may seem only to ease the problem, and not to remove it. This is because some significant modern studies have challenged the validity of Hume's Newtonian credentials. The opponents of this carefully qualified, undeniably realist outlook are the Pyrrhonians and the philosophical dogmatists. So the task of the Enquiry is to show that the experimental philosophy, properly understood, has skeptical implications that undercut all the dogmatists, old and new, secular and not religious, and the body of the work is structured accordingly.
Stephen Buckle
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198240945
- eISBN:
- 9780191680304
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198240945.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
Locke bequeathed to his successors a complex inheritance. The Two Treatises hinged on the inalienability of the property in one's person. Not only did this rule out the more explicit forms of ...
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Locke bequeathed to his successors a complex inheritance. The Two Treatises hinged on the inalienability of the property in one's person. Not only did this rule out the more explicit forms of slavery, it also excluded political slavery: any political system which placed its citizens under an unregulated, or arbitrary, will. The Essay concerning Human Understanding left an equally powerful impression. Its concern with both the foundations of knowledge and the efficient causes of human action led to an upsurge of interest in moral epistemology and psychology, and thereby to the first attempts to give a sophisticated account of the natural jurists' commonplace that the natural law has its foundations in human nature. The complex task faced by Locke's inheritors was to find a way to unify these different themes from the Two Treatises and the Essay, and it is in this context that the work of Francis Hutcheson (1694–1746) is such a striking achievement. This chapter outlines Hutcheson's synthesis of Lockian and other themes, concluding with an analysis of the crucial weakness in his account of justice — a weakness which throws substantial light on Hume's purposes in Book III of the Treatise.Less
Locke bequeathed to his successors a complex inheritance. The Two Treatises hinged on the inalienability of the property in one's person. Not only did this rule out the more explicit forms of slavery, it also excluded political slavery: any political system which placed its citizens under an unregulated, or arbitrary, will. The Essay concerning Human Understanding left an equally powerful impression. Its concern with both the foundations of knowledge and the efficient causes of human action led to an upsurge of interest in moral epistemology and psychology, and thereby to the first attempts to give a sophisticated account of the natural jurists' commonplace that the natural law has its foundations in human nature. The complex task faced by Locke's inheritors was to find a way to unify these different themes from the Two Treatises and the Essay, and it is in this context that the work of Francis Hutcheson (1694–1746) is such a striking achievement. This chapter outlines Hutcheson's synthesis of Lockian and other themes, concluding with an analysis of the crucial weakness in his account of justice — a weakness which throws substantial light on Hume's purposes in Book III of the Treatise.
P. F. Strawson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199587292
- eISBN:
- 9780191728747
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199587292.003.0020
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
This chapter explores possible responses to the question ‘Why Philosophy?’ The query is worth considering because of two other questions which are sometimes posed. The first is blunt enough: ‘What's ...
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This chapter explores possible responses to the question ‘Why Philosophy?’ The query is worth considering because of two other questions which are sometimes posed. The first is blunt enough: ‘What's the use of it?’ The second is, or seems, a bit more sophisticated: viz. ‘Why is it that, unlike the natural sciences, there seems to be no development, no progress in philosophy?’ It argues philosophy should aim at general human conceptual self-understanding.Less
This chapter explores possible responses to the question ‘Why Philosophy?’ The query is worth considering because of two other questions which are sometimes posed. The first is blunt enough: ‘What's the use of it?’ The second is, or seems, a bit more sophisticated: viz. ‘Why is it that, unlike the natural sciences, there seems to be no development, no progress in philosophy?’ It argues philosophy should aim at general human conceptual self-understanding.
Hubert Schwyzer
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198248293
- eISBN:
- 9780191681110
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198248293.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter discusses what the implications of Kant's failure to show why it is only judgment by means of the categories that can yield consciousness of anything are for his broader concerns about ...
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This chapter discusses what the implications of Kant's failure to show why it is only judgment by means of the categories that can yield consciousness of anything are for his broader concerns about the human understanding and the nature of knowledge. Based on the discussions presented in this chapter, specifically that surrounding Wittgenstein, it is stated that resistance to the atomization of rule-following behaviour should be formed.Less
This chapter discusses what the implications of Kant's failure to show why it is only judgment by means of the categories that can yield consciousness of anything are for his broader concerns about the human understanding and the nature of knowledge. Based on the discussions presented in this chapter, specifically that surrounding Wittgenstein, it is stated that resistance to the atomization of rule-following behaviour should be formed.
Stephen Buckle
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199271146
- eISBN:
- 9780191699498
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271146.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
From its opening section, the first Enquiry signals that it has a polemical purpose. It is not merely a polemic, of course, but identifying the work's apparent and real targets assists in bringing ...
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From its opening section, the first Enquiry signals that it has a polemical purpose. It is not merely a polemic, of course, but identifying the work's apparent and real targets assists in bringing out the underlying unity of its argument; and that argument, once its outlines have been sketched in, also illustrates the connections David Hume discerns between experimentalism and scepticism. The immediate task, then, is to emphasise the significance of the Enquiry's distinctively sharp edge, and to identify its primary targets. Attending to the particular circumstances in which the work was produced will be a useful preparation. Essentially, Hume published the Philosophical Essays concerning Human Understanding, which was the Enquiry's first title, in 1748, at the end of one of the most eventful periods of his life, events that are played down in the autobiography.Less
From its opening section, the first Enquiry signals that it has a polemical purpose. It is not merely a polemic, of course, but identifying the work's apparent and real targets assists in bringing out the underlying unity of its argument; and that argument, once its outlines have been sketched in, also illustrates the connections David Hume discerns between experimentalism and scepticism. The immediate task, then, is to emphasise the significance of the Enquiry's distinctively sharp edge, and to identify its primary targets. Attending to the particular circumstances in which the work was produced will be a useful preparation. Essentially, Hume published the Philosophical Essays concerning Human Understanding, which was the Enquiry's first title, in 1748, at the end of one of the most eventful periods of his life, events that are played down in the autobiography.
Henry E. Allison
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199647033
- eISBN:
- 9780191741166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199647033.003.0014
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This essay argues that Kant's ironical remark in his response to Eberhard that “the Critique of Pure Reason might well be the true apology for Leibniz” is applicable (without irony) to the third ...
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This essay argues that Kant's ironical remark in his response to Eberhard that “the Critique of Pure Reason might well be the true apology for Leibniz” is applicable (without irony) to the third Critique. Appealing to the principle of the purposiveness of nature, it shows that this principle provides the basis for a “critical” restatement of the line of argument that Leibniz formulated against Locke in his New Essays on Human Understanding. Common to both thinkers is the necessity of presupposing a harmony between the order of nature and the cognitive requirements of the human understanding, according to which observable similarities reflect the inner organization of nature. The difference is that for Leibniz the justification for this presupposition is metaphysical, namely, a pre‐established harmony, whereas for Kant it is “critical” involving the subjective principle of the purposiveness of nature.Less
This essay argues that Kant's ironical remark in his response to Eberhard that “the Critique of Pure Reason might well be the true apology for Leibniz” is applicable (without irony) to the third Critique. Appealing to the principle of the purposiveness of nature, it shows that this principle provides the basis for a “critical” restatement of the line of argument that Leibniz formulated against Locke in his New Essays on Human Understanding. Common to both thinkers is the necessity of presupposing a harmony between the order of nature and the cognitive requirements of the human understanding, according to which observable similarities reflect the inner organization of nature. The difference is that for Leibniz the justification for this presupposition is metaphysical, namely, a pre‐established harmony, whereas for Kant it is “critical” involving the subjective principle of the purposiveness of nature.
Stephen Buckle
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199271146
- eISBN:
- 9780191699498
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271146.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This book is out of step with some well-established verities in the interpretation of David Hume's philosophy. The preference is misguided in at least two respects. In the first place, it reflects ...
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This book is out of step with some well-established verities in the interpretation of David Hume's philosophy. The preference is misguided in at least two respects. In the first place, it reflects certain convictions about the nature of Hume's philosophy — convictions derived from selected passages in A Treatise of Human Nature — that necessarily subordinate the first Enquiry concerning Human Understanding to the earlier work; and so, where they differ, rules it out of serious consideration. These convictions are not addressed directly, but will be counted by the book as a whole, as the aim is to show that the Enquiry is a unified work with a coherent argument, and that the very coherence, and significance, of the argument shows it to be the best short guide to Hume's philosophy.Less
This book is out of step with some well-established verities in the interpretation of David Hume's philosophy. The preference is misguided in at least two respects. In the first place, it reflects certain convictions about the nature of Hume's philosophy — convictions derived from selected passages in A Treatise of Human Nature — that necessarily subordinate the first Enquiry concerning Human Understanding to the earlier work; and so, where they differ, rules it out of serious consideration. These convictions are not addressed directly, but will be counted by the book as a whole, as the aim is to show that the Enquiry is a unified work with a coherent argument, and that the very coherence, and significance, of the argument shows it to be the best short guide to Hume's philosophy.
Stephen Buckle
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199271146
- eISBN:
- 9780191699498
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271146.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This book studies David Hume's Enquiry concerning Human Understanding. The Enquiry has, contrary to its author's expressed wishes, long lived in the shadow of its predecessor, A Treatise of Human ...
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This book studies David Hume's Enquiry concerning Human Understanding. The Enquiry has, contrary to its author's expressed wishes, long lived in the shadow of its predecessor, A Treatise of Human Nature. This book presents the Enquiry in a fresh light, and aims to raise it to its rightful position in Hume's work and in the history of philosophy. It argues that the Enquiry is not, as so often assumed, a mere collection of watered-down extracts from the earlier work. It is, rather, a coherent work with a unified argument; and, when this argument is grasped as a whole, the Enquiry shows itself to be the best introduction to the lineaments of its author's general philosophy. This book offers a careful guide through the argument and structure of the work. It shows how the central sections of the Enquiry offer a critique of the dogmatic empiricisms of the ancient world (Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Aristotelianism), and set in place an alternative conception of human powers based on the sceptical principles of habit and probability. These principles are then put to work, to rule out philosophy's metaphysical ambitions and their consequences: religious systems and their attendant conception of human beings as semi-divine rational animals. Hume's scepticism, experimentalism, and naturalism are thus shown to be different aspects of the one unified philosophy — a sceptical version of the Enlightenment vision.Less
This book studies David Hume's Enquiry concerning Human Understanding. The Enquiry has, contrary to its author's expressed wishes, long lived in the shadow of its predecessor, A Treatise of Human Nature. This book presents the Enquiry in a fresh light, and aims to raise it to its rightful position in Hume's work and in the history of philosophy. It argues that the Enquiry is not, as so often assumed, a mere collection of watered-down extracts from the earlier work. It is, rather, a coherent work with a unified argument; and, when this argument is grasped as a whole, the Enquiry shows itself to be the best introduction to the lineaments of its author's general philosophy. This book offers a careful guide through the argument and structure of the work. It shows how the central sections of the Enquiry offer a critique of the dogmatic empiricisms of the ancient world (Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Aristotelianism), and set in place an alternative conception of human powers based on the sceptical principles of habit and probability. These principles are then put to work, to rule out philosophy's metaphysical ambitions and their consequences: religious systems and their attendant conception of human beings as semi-divine rational animals. Hume's scepticism, experimentalism, and naturalism are thus shown to be different aspects of the one unified philosophy — a sceptical version of the Enlightenment vision.
Stephen Buckle
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199271146
- eISBN:
- 9780191699498
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271146.003.0013
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This section has suffered from its own success. In the first place, it has been so frequently anthologised in collections of readings in the philosophy of religion that it is most frequently read out ...
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This section has suffered from its own success. In the first place, it has been so frequently anthologised in collections of readings in the philosophy of religion that it is most frequently read out of context. Restoring it to its place within David Hume's wider argument aids in understanding the argument itself, and in assessing both its value and its contribution to the overall argument of the Enquiry. Secondly, its success means that it is now far more widely read than other critical discussions of miracles from the same period, so its distinguishing features are easily missed: not least, some limitations of the argument that were noted by contemporary critics. One limitation stems from the kind of argument Hume employs. Thus, the first task then is to place this section in context.Less
This section has suffered from its own success. In the first place, it has been so frequently anthologised in collections of readings in the philosophy of religion that it is most frequently read out of context. Restoring it to its place within David Hume's wider argument aids in understanding the argument itself, and in assessing both its value and its contribution to the overall argument of the Enquiry. Secondly, its success means that it is now far more widely read than other critical discussions of miracles from the same period, so its distinguishing features are easily missed: not least, some limitations of the argument that were noted by contemporary critics. One limitation stems from the kind of argument Hume employs. Thus, the first task then is to place this section in context.
Charles Conti
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263388
- eISBN:
- 9780191682513
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263388.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter illustrates how Farrer found a basis for natural theology within the parameters of God's action, rather than ‘outside’ in categories of natural theology. The strands of his strong ...
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This chapter illustrates how Farrer found a basis for natural theology within the parameters of God's action, rather than ‘outside’ in categories of natural theology. The strands of his strong ‘theology of continuity’ were evident in his early writings and show how subtle Farrer's metaphysical personalism was. This chapter also shows how the Incarnation brought the transcendent ‘down’ to raise human understanding ‘up’. By instantiating the transcendent in space and time, Incarnation provides a conceptual framework for theism. Thus transcendent God may be ‘humanly’ conceived in the personal form.Less
This chapter illustrates how Farrer found a basis for natural theology within the parameters of God's action, rather than ‘outside’ in categories of natural theology. The strands of his strong ‘theology of continuity’ were evident in his early writings and show how subtle Farrer's metaphysical personalism was. This chapter also shows how the Incarnation brought the transcendent ‘down’ to raise human understanding ‘up’. By instantiating the transcendent in space and time, Incarnation provides a conceptual framework for theism. Thus transcendent God may be ‘humanly’ conceived in the personal form.
R. S. Downie and K. C. Calman
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780192624086
- eISBN:
- 9780191723728
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780192624086.003.0003
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
There is a technical model of decision making which suggests that when the clinical facts are known the treatment decisions easily follow. The problems in this approach are brought out by an ...
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There is a technical model of decision making which suggests that when the clinical facts are known the treatment decisions easily follow. The problems in this approach are brought out by an understanding of what the natural sciences, the social sciences, professional opinion, and the clinician's own humane understanding of the patient can contribute to clinical judgement.Less
There is a technical model of decision making which suggests that when the clinical facts are known the treatment decisions easily follow. The problems in this approach are brought out by an understanding of what the natural sciences, the social sciences, professional opinion, and the clinician's own humane understanding of the patient can contribute to clinical judgement.
Stephen Buckle
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199271146
- eISBN:
- 9780191699498
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271146.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
The opening section of the first Enquiry has two main tasks. The first is pre-emptive damage control, the second is to signal the work's critical purpose. The damage control is the task of ...
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The opening section of the first Enquiry has two main tasks. The first is pre-emptive damage control, the second is to signal the work's critical purpose. The damage control is the task of encouraging the polite reader not to be disheartened when the subsequent chapters become harder going; that the effort required will not be unreasonable. To this end, David Hume contrasts an easy philosophy with abstruse philosophy in order to show to the uncertain reader that he is alert to the merits of the former, and sensitive to the failings of the latter. He nevertheless insists that the latter is both necessary and advantageous. Thus, the way forward will be to attempt to combine the accessibility of the easy philosophy with the depth and profundity of abstruse philosophy.Less
The opening section of the first Enquiry has two main tasks. The first is pre-emptive damage control, the second is to signal the work's critical purpose. The damage control is the task of encouraging the polite reader not to be disheartened when the subsequent chapters become harder going; that the effort required will not be unreasonable. To this end, David Hume contrasts an easy philosophy with abstruse philosophy in order to show to the uncertain reader that he is alert to the merits of the former, and sensitive to the failings of the latter. He nevertheless insists that the latter is both necessary and advantageous. Thus, the way forward will be to attempt to combine the accessibility of the easy philosophy with the depth and profundity of abstruse philosophy.
W. Norris Clarke, SJ
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823229284
- eISBN:
- 9780823236671
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fso/9780823229284.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter examines the relation between religious art and metaphysics as studied by Saint Thomas. It aims to uncover the underlying metaphysical and epistemological structures supporting the ...
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This chapter examines the relation between religious art and metaphysics as studied by Saint Thomas. It aims to uncover the underlying metaphysical and epistemological structures supporting the ability of authentic religious art to provide symbolic expression to the transcendental and the relation of humans to it. The epistemological structure is based on Saint Thomas's distinctive theory of human understanding as a synthesis of sense and intellect.Less
This chapter examines the relation between religious art and metaphysics as studied by Saint Thomas. It aims to uncover the underlying metaphysical and epistemological structures supporting the ability of authentic religious art to provide symbolic expression to the transcendental and the relation of humans to it. The epistemological structure is based on Saint Thomas's distinctive theory of human understanding as a synthesis of sense and intellect.
Robert Fine
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780853239659
- eISBN:
- 9781846314087
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/liverpool/9780853239659.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This chapter contains an essay by Hannah Arendt that depicts her perspective on the Holocaust, which is in contrast to the conventional explanation for the Holocaust. With the Holocaust described as ...
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This chapter contains an essay by Hannah Arendt that depicts her perspective on the Holocaust, which is in contrast to the conventional explanation for the Holocaust. With the Holocaust described as ‘beyond human understanding’ Arendt contended that notion with alternative explanations that challenged the conventional perspective on the Holocaust, which was a symbol of a collapse in human history and a limit to the human understanding. The chapter provides details on her understanding of the Holocaust, death camps, and totalitarianism, and her juridical point of view, idea of humanity, and answers to the Question of Evil.Less
This chapter contains an essay by Hannah Arendt that depicts her perspective on the Holocaust, which is in contrast to the conventional explanation for the Holocaust. With the Holocaust described as ‘beyond human understanding’ Arendt contended that notion with alternative explanations that challenged the conventional perspective on the Holocaust, which was a symbol of a collapse in human history and a limit to the human understanding. The chapter provides details on her understanding of the Holocaust, death camps, and totalitarianism, and her juridical point of view, idea of humanity, and answers to the Question of Evil.
