For those open to the possibility that philosophical thought can improve life, David Hume's Essays: Moral, Political, and Literary have something to say. In the first comprehensive study of the Essays, Margaret Watkins engages closely with these neglected texts and shows how they provide important insights into Hume's perspective on the breadth and depth of human life, arguing that the Essays reveal his continued commitment to philosophy as a discipline that can promote both social and individual progress. Addressing topics such as politics, war, slavery, the priesthood, the development of industry, aesthetics, emotional disorders, egoism, friendship, sexuality, gender relations, and the nature of philosophy itself, the volume examines Hume's purposes and aims against the backdrop of the eighteenth century society in which he lived. It will be of interest to scholars of modern thought in philosophy, politics, history, and economics.

Reveals the significance of Hume's Essays for philosophical questions about human life and its individual and social progress.

About the Author
Margaret Watkins is Professor of Philosophy at Saint Vincent College, Pennsylvania. She has published articles on Hume's ethics and aesthetics in journals including Hume Studies, Inquiry, and History of Philosophy Quarterly.


Book Information
ISBN 9781108476270
Author Margaret Watkins
Format Hardback
Page Count 274
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 530g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 157mm * 19mm