Hume's Enquiry

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No prior knowledge required.

Content of Course

1. Introduction: Who was Hume, and how is he important? Enquiry §1 – Of the Different Species of Philosophy.

2. Hume’s account of the operations of the mind: Enquiry §2 and §3 – Of the Origins of Ideas, and Of the Association of Ideas.

3. Hume’s empiricism and its implications (1): Enquiry §4 Sceptical Doubts Concerning the Operations of the Understanding.

4. Hume’s empiricism and its implications (2): Enquiry §5 Sceptical Solution of these Doubts; Enquiry §6 Of Probability.

5. Hume’s account of causality: Enquiry §7 Of the Idea of Necessary Connexion.

6. Hume on free will and determinism: Enquiry §8 Of Liberty and Necessity.

7. Hume on the human condition: Enquiry §9 Of the Reason of Animals.

8. Hume on religious belief (1): Enquiry §10 Of Miracles.

9. Hume on religious belief (2): Enquiry §11 Of a Particular Providence and of a Future State.

10. Hume’s Conclusion: Enquiry §12 Of the Academical or Sceptical Philosophy.

11. Unseen assessment & credit essay workshop.

Teaching method(s)

Each weekly two-hour class will combine lectures and discussion. You will be encouraged to read in advance the sections of the text to be discussed; tutorial questions will be circulated in advance so as to maximise the potential for you to participate in class discussion.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Identify the key features of Hume’s ‘Science of Man’, and locate this project in its broader philosophical and cultural context;

• Identify the contributions which Hume makes across a range of issues in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophy of religion;

• Subject these positions to critical scrutiny, in the light of subsequent Humean scholarship.

Sources

Core Readings

Essential:

• Hume, David (1999) An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Tom Beauchamp ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Recommended:

• The emphasis of the course is on a close reading of the primary text (above), however, secondary sources, associated with the assessment titles, will be made available at the outset of the course.

Web Sources

http://www.glaucon.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

John Gordon’s website

Class Handouts

Handouts will be provided on a weekly basis.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.