Modern Philosophy - General & Miscellaneous, Ethics & Moral Philosophy - Theoretical, General & Miscellaneous Political Theory, Political Philosophy, 18th Century British Philosophy

Hume

Name: Hume
Author: Chris Berry
ISBN: 9780826429803

by Chris Berry, John Meadowcroft

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Overview

In this compelling and accessible account of the life and thought of the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume (1711-1776), Professor Christopher J. Berry of the University of Glasgow argues that the belief in the uniformity of human nature was at the heart of Hume's thought. In this volume, Berry introduces classic 'Humean' themes including the evolution of social institutions as an unintended consequence of the pursuit of self-interest, the importance of custom and habit in establishing rules of just conduct, and the defence of commerce and luxury. The book reveals Hume as an original thinker, whose thought may be understood as a combination of various strands of conservatism, libertarianism and liberalism.

About the Author, Chris Berry

Christopher Berry is Professor of Political Theory at the University of Glasgow, UK, and the author of five books: Social theory of the Scottish Enlightenment (Edinburgh, 1997); The idea of luxury:a conceptual and historical analysis (Cambridge, 1994); The idea of democratic community (Wheatsheaf, 1989); Human nature (Macmillan, 1986); and Hume, Hegel and human nature (Martinus Nijhoff, 1982).

Dr Meadowcroft is Lecturer in Public Policy at King's College London and the author of The Ethics of the Market (Palgrave, 2005) and co-author of Rescuing Social Capital from Social Democracy (Institute of Economic Affairs, 2007).