David Hume
1711 — 1776
Biography
David Hume was the greatest British philosopher, who took empiricism to its logical conclusion, leading to skepticism about many traditional concepts.
He criticized the concept of causality: we do not perceive causal connection, only habitual sequence of events. He also showed the impossibility of deriving 'ought' from 'is' (Hume's guillotine).
Kant acknowledged that it was Hume who 'awakened him from his dogmatic slumber.'
Key Ideas
- Critique of causality
- Habit, not reason
- Hume's guillotine (is/ought)
- Skepticism in metaphysics
- Passions govern reason
Works
-
A Treatise of Human Nature
(1739)
Main philosophical work
-
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
(1748)
Popular exposition of ideas