Hume

The father of modern scepticism and perhaps the most important English philosopher, Hume was lauded within his own lifetime as a pivotal figure of the Enlightenment. His 'naturalist' approach to a wide variety of philosophical topics resulted in highly original theories of perception, personal identity, causation, politics, morality, and religion, many of which were extremely controversial and continue to make waves today. Harold Noonan's excellent introduction to Hume presents Hume's ideas in their original context as well as discussing their relevance to contemporary philosophical debate. Can we argue that the design of the universe points to the existence of God? What makes us persons? What can we rationally believe in? Hume's voice, lucid and witty, is still an acute critic of human nature and Western thought.