Hume's Social Philosophy
eBook - PDF

Hume's Social Philosophy

Human Nature and Commercial Sociability in A Treatise of Human Nature

  1. 214 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Hume's Social Philosophy

Human Nature and Commercial Sociability in A Treatise of Human Nature

About this book

In Hume's Social Philosophy, Christopher J Finlay presents a highly original and engaging reading of David Hume's landmark text, A Treatise of Human Nature, and political writings published immediately after it, articulating a unified view of his theory of human nature in society and his political philosophy. The book explores the hitherto neglected social contexts within which Hume's ideas were conceived. While a great deal of attention has previously been given to Hume's intellectual and literary contexts, important connections can also be made between the fundamentals of Hume's philosophy and the social world in which it was developed.
Finlay argues that Hume's unified theory of human nature, conceived in terms of passions, reason and sociability, was meant to account for human nature in its most articulate manifestations, in the commercial and 'polite' social contexts of eighteenth-century Europe. Through careful exegetical study of Hume's analysis of reasoning and the passions, Finlay explores the diverse aspects of sociability which the Treatise of Human Nature invokes. In particular, this study finds in the Treatise an important exploration of the tensions between the selfish motivations of individuals and their propensity to bond with others in complex and diverse kinds of social group. Analysis of Book III of the Treatise and of essays published afterwards shows how the various individualist and social propensities explored through the passions are addressed in Hume's theories of justice, morals and politics.

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Yes, you can access Hume's Social Philosophy by Christopher J. Finlay in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Philosophy & Philosophy History & Theory. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher
Continuum
Year
2007
Print ISBN
9780826491626
eBook ISBN
9781441137579

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Acknowledgements
  4. Abbreviations
  5. 1 Introduction
  6. 2 Hume's Social Contexts
  7. 3 Philosophy in Civil Society
  8. 4 Understanding 'Life and Action'
  9. 5 Pride and Esteem
  10. 6 Sympathy, Sociability and Esteem: Hume's Account of Social Relations
  11. 7 Morality, Justice and Government
  12. 8 Hume's Theory of Civil Society
  13. Notes
  14. Bibliography
  15. Index