Other editions of book A Treatise of Human Nature

A Treatise of Human Nature is a book by Scottish philosopher David Hume, first published at the end of 1738. While many scholars today consider the Treatise to be Hume's most important work and one of the most important books in the history of philosophy, the public in Britain did not at first agree. Hume himself described the (lack of) public reaction to the publication of the Treatise by writing that the book "fell dead-born from the press." It contains the following sections: Book 1: "Of the Understanding" – An investigation into human cognition. Important statements of Skepticism. Book 2: "Of the Passions" – A treatment of emotions and free will. Book 3: "Of Morals" – A treatment of moral ideas, justice, obligations, benevolence.

Of all original philosophical texts written in English, David Hume’s three-volume A Treatise of Human Nature (1739—40) must rate as one of the very greatest and far-reachingly influential with its attempt to create a new science of human nature. In it Hume attempts to apply Locke’s empirical psychology to build a theory of knowledge, and from it to provide a critique of metaphysical ideas. Precociously conceived by the age of twenty-one and largely written by the age of twenty-five Hume was despondent when the first two volumes ‘fell dead-born from the press’ and attracted but little and unfavourable reviewing. Hume’s reaction is slightly exaggerated, though the full importance of his conclusions was scarcely appreciated until Bentham and Mill realized his utilitarianism and logic.That the scope of Hume’s ideas have withstood the vicissitudes of time is plain to see, and this makes it all the more remarkable that this magnum opus has never been reprinted as a genuine facsimile until now. Famously rare and costing tens of thousands of pounds to buy, this work in its original format has been inaccessible to all but the most privileged scholars. This true and unedited first edition, with text reproduced actual size, will allow scholars worldwide to read the exact same text as its earliest readers who included Alexander Pope, Bishop Butler, Adam Smith and Francis Hutcheson.Hume scholar David Raynor has written a new introduction which sets the Treatise in its intellectual and historical context and details its early reception. It stands out from the crowd of editions of this work as being the only one that Hume saw printed in his lifetime, and its scarcity in the original will make this an invaluable and prestigious resource for all college and research libraries. —arguably the most important work of systematic philosophy in the English language —first ever true facsimile of the first edition, with text reproduced at actual size —new introduction by Hume scholar David Raynor

First published in 1739 to an unenthusiastic British public, Hume's "Treatise" has since been referred to as one of the most significant books in the history of philosophy. Hume, a Scottish philosopher, claimed that he was attempting to discuss moral issues with a methodical reasoning, and proceeded to do so in this foundational text. Divided into three large sections, Hume begins his work with a discussion of human understanding, from the origin of our ideas to how we divide them with space and time, with some interesting observations on skepticism. In the second section, Hume speaks of passions, encompassing a range of human emotions and introducing the effect of free will upon them. Finally, the third section covers a variety of moral ideas, including virtues and justice, promises and obligations, and the effect of politics on human morality. Through this treatise, Hume exhibits a remarkable and creative mind, disciplined and enhanced by a systematic method of reasoning, that has produced a text on moral philosophy that continues to stand the test of time over two hundred years later.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

David Hume's comprehensive attempt to base philosophy on a new, observationally grounded study of human nature is one of the most important texts in Western philosophy. The Treatise first explains how we form such concepts as cause and effect, external existence, and personal identity, and how we create compelling but unverifiable beliefs in the entities represented by these concepts. It then offers a novel account of the passions, explains freedom and necessity as they apply to human choices and actions, and concludes with a detailed explanation of how we distinguish between virtue and vice. The volume features Hume's own abstract of the Treatise, a substantial introduction, extensive annotations, a glossary of terms, a comprehensive index, and suggestions for further reading.

* A Treatise of Human Nature places all science and philosophy on a novel foundation: namely, an empirical investigation into human psychology.* Just as accessible and enjoyable for today's readers as it would have been when first published, the book is one of the great works of philosophy and continues to be widely read throughout the world.* This meticulous edition from Heritage Illustrated Publishing is a faithful reproduction of the original text enhanced with images of classic works of art.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.