Philosophical Works, v. 2
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Philosophy majors who need the original text of Hume's works as course reference
- Enthusiasts with a foundation in the history of Western philosophy who want to study Hume systematically
- Researchers who need the English original as material for papers
- Readers accustomed to slow reading of argumentative texts and willing to take reading notes
Not a good fit for
- Ordinary readers without philosophical reading experience; the argumentation is dense
- Readers who only want popular philosophy books; this book is the scholarly original text
- Beginners who need detailed modern annotations and introductions
- Readers who hope to read quickly through without notes; they may easily lose the thread of the argument
Reading tips
- First review Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature or relevant chapters of a history of philosophy to build a background framework before reading this volume
- Take notes on the argument structure chapter by chapter, marking premises, inferences, and conclusions for easy reference
- When encountering terminology obstacles, consult a philosophy dictionary or secondary research literature; do not force your way through
- Read a small section at a fixed time each day and write two or three sentences of summary; this is more effective than reading straight through at once
About the publisher
Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.
Contents
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FAQ
Can I read this book without a philosophy background?
Which part of Hume's works is this?
What should I do if the public-domain eBook lacks annotations?
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About the author
David Hume (1711–1776) was a Scottish philosopher, historian and essayist whose thought had a profound influence on modern philosophy and historiography. The collection contains fifteen of his works, covering philosophy, religion, morality, knowledge and history. His representative works include A Treatise of Human Nature, which systematically examines understanding, the passions and morals and lays the foundation of his empiricist position; An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, which restate these ideas in a clearer style; Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, which explores religious belief through reasoned debate; and The History of England, which represents another side of his historical writing. His prose is clear, cautious and sceptical, and he excels at turning abstract questions into readable discussion. Public information is limited, so biographical details are not developed here; this introduction focuses on the subjects and influence of his works.