Hume's System: An Examination of the First Book of His Treatise - Couverture souple

Pears, David

 
9780198750994: Hume's System: An Examination of the First Book of His Treatise

Synopsis

In this compelling analysis David Pears examines the foundations of Hume's theory of the mind as presented in the first book of the Treatise. Past studies have tended to take one of two extreme views: that Hume relies exclusively on a theory of meaning, or that he relies exclusively on a theory of truth and evidence. Steering a middle course between these positions, Pears argues that Hume's theory of ideas serves both functions. He examines in detail its application to three difficult problems: causation, personal identity, and sense perception. Hume's solutions, Pears argues, are not theories that can be given a place in standard classification of philosophical theories, but rather depend upon a subtle form of naturalism not altogether unlike Wittgenstein's naturalism. A clearly written and argued study, Hume's System will be of special interest to students and scholars of the history of philosophy.

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Revue de presse

`Professor Pears, as was to be expected, has presented the philosophical world with most acute analyses of the problems of causation, personal identity and perception in Hume's Treatise.' Dr Paul Tomassi, University of Edinburgh

'Hume's System is a thorough and carefully argued encounter with Hume's Treatise.' Christian K. Campolo, Hume Studies, Volume XIX, Number 1

'excellent study ... Pears excels at putting back those considerations that Hume inconsistently neglects, and having put them back he is able to explain Hume's vacillations as the result of his failure to face up to those alternatives. Pear's book is an excellent contribution to our understanding of the problems that Hume addresses in the Treatise ... his prose style is a delight to read, possessing a polished elegance that is all too rare in academic work. The book is also free of misprints and contains a comprehensive and highly useful set of internal references in the footnotes.' Adrian Heathcote, University of Sydney, Australian Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 71, No. 2, June 1993

Présentation de l'éditeur

In this book, Professor Pears examines the foundations of Hume's system as laid down in the first book of his Treatise, where his ideas are oresebted in their first fresh and undiluted form. The author steers a middle course between the two extreme views adopted in recent writings on Hume: that he relies exclusively on a theory of meaning, or that he relies exclusively on a theory of truth and evidence. Professor Pears argues that Hume's theory of ideas serves both functions, and he examines in detail its application to three difficult problems: causation, personal identity, and sense-perception. Hume's solutions are shown not to be theories which can be given a place in a standard classification of philosophical theories, but rather to depend upon a subtle form of naturalism not altogether unlike Wittgenstein's naturalism.

Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Autres éditions populaires du même titre

9780198751007: Hume's System: An Examination of the First Book of His Treatise

Edition présentée

ISBN 10 :  0198751001 ISBN 13 :  9780198751007
Editeur : Oxford University Press, 1991
Couverture rigide