Essays: Moral, Political, and Literary [Paperback]

David Hume (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1985

Modern Political Philosophy

Editorial Reviews

Review

"We have Hume's own word that the definitive statement of his philosophy is not to be found in the youthful Treatise of Human Nature but in the 1777 posthumous edition of his collected works entitled Essays and Treatises on Several Subjects. Yet a major part of this definitive collection, the Essays, Moral, Political, and Literary (a volume of near 600 pages, covering three decades of Hume's career as a philosopher) has been largely ignored. The volume has rarely been in print, and the last critical edition was published in 1874-75. With this splendid, but inexpensive, new critical edition by Eugene Miller, the door is open to a richer notion of Hume's conception of philosophy..." -- Donald Livingston, Emory University.

From the Back Cover

As part of the tried and true model of informal essay writing, Hume began publishing his Essays: Moral, Political and Literary in 1741. The majority of these finely honed treatises fall into three distinct areas: political theory, economic theory and aesthetic theory.

Interestingly, Hume's was motivated to produce a collection of informal essays given the poor public reception of his more formally written Treatise of Human Nature in 1739. He hoped that his work would be interesting not only to the educated man, but to the common man as well. He passionately argues that essays provide a forum for discussing his philosophy of "common life." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: Liberty Fund; Revised edition (April 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865970564
• ISBN-13: 978-0865970564
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #634,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Superior Edition, March 10, 2005

By 

D. S. Heersink "D. Stephen Heersink" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essays: Moral, Political, and Literary (Paperback)

The Liberty/Classics comprehensive volume is superior to the Oxford edition in every way. The former is a complete compilation, whereas the Oxford edition contain only "selected" essays.

These essays are more in the tradition of Montaigne, Marcus Arelius, and Emerson, to cite some exemplars of the tradition, meaning that these essays are not as logically rigorous as Hume's "Treatise on Human Nature," "Essays Concerning Human Understanding," "Principles of Morals," and "Natural Religion," but are more an astute and empirical observation of what causes pleasure and satisfaction versus what causes discomfort and uneasiness. This emprical motif permeates all the essays.

The "moral" essays are a continuation of Vol. III of his "Treatise on Human Nature," and "Principles of Morals," and contribute to how our "tastes" and "utility," rather than apriori logic, delimit and describe moral ideas and ideals. His "political" essays are the most prominent among the group and are often prescient of subsequent developments, clearly anticipating a more democratic society, but they often come across as antediluvian, despite Hume's analytical dexterity and his compassionate motivation. The "literary" essays are the least in number and the most impotent of his contributions. Not that they lack value or interest, they simply lack novelty or new understanding. All his essays have an empirical bent, which should not surprise anyone familiar with Hume's other works.

Many of these 48 essays have perennial value, while others are clearly cotemporaneous with his time and place (mid-18th century England). In either case, they contribute to our understanding of the period, while making perspicacious observations about subjects that are both endearing and enduring. The LibertyClassics' edition uses current locution and spellings in Caslon 540 typeface on durable, acid-free paper, making Hume's lucid and elegant prose an even more attractive presentation. Highly recommended.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable addition to Hume's "Treatise" and his "Enquiries", May 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Essays: Moral, Political, and Literary (Paperback)

The book offers an intersting collection of Hume's minor writing. A must for anyone interested in Hume's philosphy. Nicely printed on acid-free paper the book is good value for money.

8 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice Collection. Wish I could read it!, May 12, 2007

By 

Juneko J. Robinson (Bi-Coastal) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Essays: Moral, Political and Literary (Paperback)

Upon recieving this in the mail, I was so disappointed to see that the entire book is printed in 8 point font. My eyes just can't handle this. It's like reading a 600+ page footnote. The text literally comprises only half the total page area. It's a wonderful collection, but I'm afraid I'll be returning it.