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An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748)

by David Hume

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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3,834263,190 (3.92)14
The Enquiry considers the origin and processes of human thought and argues that we should liberate ourselves from the 'superstition' of false metaphysics and religion. This edition places the work in its historical and philosophical context. - ;'Commit it then to the flames: for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion.'. Thus ends David Hume's Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, the definitive statement of the greatest philosopher in the English language. His arguments in support of reasoning from experience, and against the 'sophistry and illusion' of religiously inspired philos… (more)
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» See also 14 mentions

English (21)  Dutch (2)  French (2)  Portuguese (Brazil) (1)  All languages (26)
Showing 1-5 of 21 (next | show all)
Hume's goal is to be trivial. He has some pretty interesting arguments, but gases his arguments up so much. We can see the influence his arguments had on philosophy in its postmodern influence. It is very conservative and can be hard to read. His philosophy is essentially to just be common sense and intuitive. It is also very repetitive and literary. ( )
  vincenttran | Mar 17, 2024 |
One of the best-known modern philosophers wrote his masterpiece at a young age, it wasn’t well received at the time and to being important to Western philosophy, and so David Hume decided to do something to get his thoughts talked about. Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals are two pieces that Hume wrote from sections of his most famous work to enlarge and make them well known thus putting his name out into the philosophical community.

The two Enquiries are essentially extracts and revisions of sections from his A Treatise of Human Nature, his anonymously published most important work that was not received well and very long. In all honestly, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding was to me were words that signified nothing. Every statement and argument Hume put forward neither interested me nor really was convincing and his section “On Miracles” was nothing more than a circular argument that just wasted my time. An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals was not much better, while I understood Hume’s thinking, I just didn’t understand the reason for the entire piece existing and frankly the four Appendixes that were attached where the best part of what Hume wrote. The publishers decided to include A Dialogue in the book, and it was probably the best piece in the entire book as I took it as satire and if not, I don’t care because those 20 pages were better than the previous 326. Frankly I had hoped for Hume to contrast or compliment John Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and while I felt Locke was a bit bloated, at least I cared about what he wrote unlike Hume.

Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals are two of David Hume’s work combined in the same book, I read them and felt like I wasted my time. ( )
  mattries37315 | Nov 8, 2023 |
Extremely interesting philosophical discussion regarding epistemology and theory of knowledge. Quite modern for having been written in mid 1700s. ( )
  wahoo8895 | Nov 20, 2022 |
O clássico ágil e agradável de Hume, no qual argumenta que todo conhecimento é derivado da experiência e que a causalidade é melhor entendida quando assumimos que ela resulta de uma disposição a ligar regularidades observáveis e a partir daí traçar expectativas. A partir disso, segue seu projeto crítico, que eventualmente acordara Kant de seu sono dogmático: hipóteses e especulações que falham em manter-se dentro do que o ser humano pode conhecer, que não reconhecem sua natureza, suas propensões (os princípios associativos da semelhança, contiguidade e causação, a força fixadora do hábito); enfim, acabam alimentando superstições e preconceitos. As ideias devem reportar-se a fenômenos, fatos observáveis, podendo ser analisadas até chegarem às experiências que as fundam, que reportam dos efeitos às causas. As relações de ideias reportam-se as questões de fato. O modo como o mundo é e o modo como somos deve regular o que podemos saber a priori. Hume critica o ocasionalismo por este invocar o fantasioso - Deus, para resolver os problemas, mas entende que as coisas seguem por conjunção e não conexão necessária: tampouco há algo como um poder que explicaria o que nossa natureza fornece. Ao investir contra esses desvios da razão, que lança-se além do mundo, Hume aborda o testemunho dos milagres (que temos sempre bons motivos para duvidar), o livre arbítrio (que é compatível com por existe por necessidade, pela construção de hábitos e avaliação das ações a partir deles; a negação de um poder causal exterior de qq forma, impede a ideia que a necessidade é uma força paralisante ou que nos força a algo) e o desenho inteligente (e seu caráter quimérico). ( )
  henrique_iwao | Aug 30, 2022 |
ملخص موجز لفلسفة هيوم المبنية على التجريب العملي والشك، وهو أكثر النصوص تأثيراً في الفترة المبكرة للفلسفة الحديثة. في الدعوة إلى استخدام العقل في رفض خرافات الفلسفة الماورائية والدين، ساعد هذا النص في تقديم الأساس الفلسفي للمنهج العلمي الذي برز بعد ذلك في عصر التنوير الأوروبي.
سجلت بعض الأفكار أثناء القراءة لأكتبها قريباً في مراجعة أطول، فالكتاب يستحق ذلك. هو أول عمل أقرأه لهيوم وقد أعجبني كثيراً

يُتبع... ( )
  TonyDib | Jan 28, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 21 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (23 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Hume, Davidprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Camps, VictòriaEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Flew, AnthonyEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gaja, VojtěchTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hendel, Charles WilliamEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ikere, ZaigaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Jackson, GildartNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Millican, Peter J. R.Editorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Moural, JosefTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sala-Valldaura, Josep MariaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Selby-Bigge, Lewis AmherstEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Smith, AdamContributorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Steinberg, EricEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Moral philosophy, or the science of human nature, may be treated after two different manners; each of which has its peculiar merit, and may contribute to the entertainment, instruction, and reformation of mankind. The one considers man chiefly as born for action; and as influenced in his measures by taste and sentiment; pursuing one object, and avoiding another, according to the value which these objects seem to possess, and according to the light in which they present themselves. As virtue, of all objects, is allowed to be the most valuable, this species of philosophers paint her in the most amiable colours; borrowing all helps from poetry and eloquence, and treating their subject in an easy and obvious manner, and such as is best fitted to please the imagination, and engage the affections. They select the most striking observations and instances from common life; place opposite characters in a proper contrast; and alluring us into the paths of virtue by the views of glory and happiness, direct our steps in these paths by the soundest precepts and most illustrious examples. They make us feel the difference between vice and virtue; they excite and regulate our sentiments; and so they can but bend our hearts to the love of probity and true honour, they think, that they have fully attained the end of all their labours.
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If we take in our hand any volume of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance, let us ask, Does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence? No. Commit it then to the flames, for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion.
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The work generally known as An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding was first published as Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding (editorial notes at davidhume.org).
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The Enquiry considers the origin and processes of human thought and argues that we should liberate ourselves from the 'superstition' of false metaphysics and religion. This edition places the work in its historical and philosophical context. - ;'Commit it then to the flames: for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion.'. Thus ends David Hume's Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, the definitive statement of the greatest philosopher in the English language. His arguments in support of reasoning from experience, and against the 'sophistry and illusion' of religiously inspired philos

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Haiku summary
Let's put to the torch
all books on metaphysics.
Just keeping it real.

(Carnophile)
Let's put to the torch
all books on metaphysics.
Just keeping it real.

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