Hume's Naturalism [Paperback]

Howard Mounce (Author), H.O Mounce (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415191254 | ISBN-13: 978-0415191258 | Publication Date: April 18, 1999

Hume's Naturalism provides a clear and concise guide to the debates over whether Hume's empiricism or his 'naturalism' in the tradition of the Scottish 'Common Sense' school of philosophy gained his upper hand. This debate is central to any understanding of Hume's thought. H.O. Mounce presents a beautifully clear guide to Hume's most important works, The Treatise on Human Nature and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Accessible to anyone coming to Hume for the first time, Hume's Naturalism affords a much needed overview of the key concepts of empiricism, causation, scepticism, reason and morality that are essential to any understanding of Hume's philosophy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is interesting, perceptive and well-written . . . Its arguments serve as a healthy corrective to the tendency to gloss over Hume's inconsistencies, while continuing to recognize his power and originality
.
–Terence Penelhum, University of Calgary

About the Author

H.O.Mounce is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Wales, Swansea. His most recent book, the Two Pragmatisms, is also published by Routledge.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (April 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415191254
• ISBN-13: 978-0415191258
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,038,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Contribution to Understanding Hume, November 27, 2007

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John D. White "camsterdad" (Cayce, South Carolina United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hume's Naturalism (Paperback)

Professor Mounce is to be congratulated on his clarity of expression and the precision of his thought in this outstanding book on Hume's philosophy. We are in his debt. There are many books on Hume's thought, some better than others. If I were to limit my reading to five secondary works or so, this would be the first one I would suggest that needs to be read and reread. Highly recommended for someone who wants to try to understand David Hume's thought. I particularly like Mounce's reasoning on naturalism as a way into understanding Hume's Dialogues on Natural Religion. It was the most balanced I've read so far, and the most penetrating. Mounce's thesis is an expansion of Kemp Smith's argument in his book the Philosophy of David Hume. We believe and act as we do, even though it does not seem reasonable to do so, simply because that is the way we are. I wonder if I'm the only one who sees the design implications in this? Are we the way we are because we were "created" this way? Mounce's book does not answer these religious questions, which may or may not be appropriate, but makes a very compelling case for his thesis regarding "Hume's Naturalism".