Literary Criticism (1400-1800)

Hume, David | Jeremy Joyner White (essay date 1998)

Jeremy Joyner White (essay date 1998)

SOURCE: “The Treatise of Human Nature and Hume's Philosophy as a Whole,” in A Humean Critique of David Hume's Theory of Knowledge, edited by John A. Gueguen, University Press of America, 1998, pp. 21-32.

[In this essay, White outlines the structure and purpose of the Treatise, claiming that the work contains the philosophical approach and positions that characterize Hume's entire oeuvre.]

Since Hume's initial inspiration finds its fullest expression in A Treatise of Human Nature, and most of his subsequent philosophical works are but a development or refinement of the program he set for himself at the start of the Treatise, a look at that work, especially at the Introduction, is indispensable. It can at the same time serve to locate Hume in his historical context.1

The Treatise is divided into three books: 1. Of the Understanding; 2. Of the...

[The entire page is 5228 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

Lookup any word on eNotes with our dictionary. Highlight the word and press SHIFT + D for a definition, or SHIFT + T for a synonym.