Hume
Published on 27. October 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
222 pages
978-1-108-03477-7 (ISBN)
Description
What is philosophy about? According to the author of this work (published in the first series of 'English Men of Letters' in 1879) it is fundamentally the answer to the question: 'What can I know?' T. H. Huxley (1825-95), the distinguished English scientist and disciple of Darwin, succeeds in giving a clear and succinct account of the way in which Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-56) answered this question. The book is divided into two parts: in the first, Huxley provides the reader with a sketch of Hume's life, but the main emphasis of the book is in Part 2, where by expounding Hume's views on the object of philosophy, consciousness, theology, language and free will, Huxley guides the reader towards an understanding of how Hume's philosophical principles can be regarded as a search for the ultimate element out of which all valid knowledge may be shown to emerge.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
319 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-03477-7 (9781108034777)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
English scientist and anthropologist Thomas Henry Huxley, was an expert in comparative anatomy. Because of his support of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, he has come to be known as "Darwin's Bulldog". Although some historians believe that the surviving account of Huxley's well-known 1860 Oxford evolution discussion with Samuel Wilberforce is a later fabrication, the debate was a turning point in both his professional life and the broader acceptance of evolution. The day before, Huxley was about to depart Oxford, but he changed his mind and chose to participate in the debate after seeing Vestiges author Robert Chambers. Richard Owen, Wilberforce's coach, and Huxley engaged in an argument concerning the degree of human-ape relatedness. Huxley publicly endorsed Darwin despite being hesitant to embrace some of his theories, such as gradualism and his ambiguity on natural selection. He battled against the more radical interpretations of religious heritage and was crucial in the development of scientific education in Britain.
Content
Part I. Hume's Life: 1. Early life: literary and political writings; 2. Later years: the History of England; Part II. Hume's Philosophy: 1. The object and scope of philosophy; 2. The contents of the mind; 3. The origin of the impressions; 4. The classification and the nomenclature of mental operations; 5. The mental phenomena of animals; 6. Language - propositions concerning necessary truths; 7. The order of nature: miracles; 8. Theism: evolution of theology; 9. The soul: the doctrine of immortality; 10. Volition: liberty and necessity; 11. The principles of morals.