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107 reviews for:
Enquiries Concerning the Human Understanding: And Concerning the Principles of Morals
David Hume
3.77 AVERAGE
107 reviews for:
Enquiries Concerning the Human Understanding: And Concerning the Principles of Morals
David Hume
3.77 AVERAGE
This is an incredible text whose influence has never ended, Hume has practically written the book for all time on empiricism as he diligently takes its many principles to their logical conclusions and exposes the fragility of human knowledge under such a lens.
With influences from Kant to Husserl to Sellars this book is eternal in its innovativeness, clarity and profundity of its ideas.
This is a great introduction to many of the key problems of philosophy and epistemology (most of which have no clear resolution) and could be read by any person with any familiarity of philosophy with close enough study.
Couldn't recommend enough
With influences from Kant to Husserl to Sellars this book is eternal in its innovativeness, clarity and profundity of its ideas.
This is a great introduction to many of the key problems of philosophy and epistemology (most of which have no clear resolution) and could be read by any person with any familiarity of philosophy with close enough study.
Couldn't recommend enough
I was previously aware of Hume's main ideas exposed in this book, but it is still delightful to read it in his own words. His opening remarks on style and abstruseness of some philosophers feel so relevant when having some post-structuralists or Hegel in mind and it is pleasing to find a thinker such as Hume which makes a clear effort to present his ideas elegantly and clearly, even if sometimes a bit repetitively.
The central piece around which his ideas gravitate is pretty simple: experience is the main guide to human reasoning and there is no way to prove beyond any doubt that things have causes and effects. Repetition and experience work together to create belief that two things that almost always happen together should be one the cause to the other.
But there are also some fascinating passages of which I was not aware. His "friend's" defence of Epicurean doubt about divinity is still relevant, as is the final discussion on skepticism on its varying degrees.
Finally, it is also refreshing to see that even to someone so self-assured as Hume, he can also recognize the limitations of his reasoning and that no matter how many times he repeats an idea, he has no way to explain belief beyond any doubts. It is understandable how this thinker could awaken someone from dogmatic slumber.
The central piece around which his ideas gravitate is pretty simple: experience is the main guide to human reasoning and there is no way to prove beyond any doubt that things have causes and effects. Repetition and experience work together to create belief that two things that almost always happen together should be one the cause to the other.
But there are also some fascinating passages of which I was not aware. His "friend's" defence of Epicurean doubt about divinity is still relevant, as is the final discussion on skepticism on its varying degrees.
Finally, it is also refreshing to see that even to someone so self-assured as Hume, he can also recognize the limitations of his reasoning and that no matter how many times he repeats an idea, he has no way to explain belief beyond any doubts. It is understandable how this thinker could awaken someone from dogmatic slumber.
I loved David Hume’s Treatise on Human Nature, and I was disappointed by how short and shallow the first Enquiry seemed in comparison, but I understand that he wanted to write a version of his thoughts for a wider audience.
The first Enquiry is well-written, and some of his arguments are formulated more clearly. Maybe it went over my head, but that seems to come at the expense of both breadth and depth. I think Hume got a lot right, and I’m going to go back over the first book of the Treatise to compare them more fully.
I definitely think this book is worth reading, either as an introduction to Hume or for someone who has read the Treatise and wants to get a more complete picture of his work.
The first Enquiry is well-written, and some of his arguments are formulated more clearly. Maybe it went over my head, but that seems to come at the expense of both breadth and depth. I think Hume got a lot right, and I’m going to go back over the first book of the Treatise to compare them more fully.
I definitely think this book is worth reading, either as an introduction to Hume or for someone who has read the Treatise and wants to get a more complete picture of his work.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
I’d give more stars if I could. I am still stumped by his ideas. I think there’s just too much to say and I won’t be able to do justice. The simplicity and completeness of his thoughts are overwhelming. Absolutely loved it
Who would have thought - Hume was a good writer. The first chapter in particular is its own little masterpiece and worth a read on its own if one is interested in matters of philosophy or philosophers.
The rest gets the job done. I tend to lose interest in these sorts of books towards the end (the Enquiry being no exception). I guess by the time the argument becomes clear to me, the “accessory” musings stop being of my liking and turn into a bit of a boring ramble. But Hume is immensely quotable, so it’s okay…
Oh, and his philosophy is interesting too I guess…
Sensible and lucid. Hume explains things simply and clearly and never takes longer than necessary to do so. The emphasis on experience and probability rather than certainty in matters of fact makes a lot of sense to my more modern ears. The way he extends these same principles to human behaviour could be interpreted as a kind of precursor to psychology and anthropology. Also, his skepticism of religious miracles is so wonderfully down-to-earth and shows a great awareness of human nature.
informative