Tuesday, May 6, 2008

David Hume - Philosophy Bites

We have to make our pick from the wide range of philosophical issues Philosophy Bites brings to the fore every week. This time around I choose one of my all time favorites: David Hume - and I have come to love him more than ever.

If only Hume himself could be on the show, but no such luck. Peter Millican appears to explain about Hume. The importance of Hume lies in epistemology and his ardent skepticism therein. He is considered one of the greatest philosophers from Britain and I think I missed Millican pointing out that for example Popper was highly influenced by Hume.

A very entertaining insight is given in Hume's assumptions about God. Millican makes a case Hume was actually an agnostic, possibly even an atheist. He had to hide these views in his work though in order not to enrage his friends and colleagues. So Millican shows how Hume disguises his thoughts, but how you nevertheless can extract them.

More Philosophy Bites:
Several issues of Philosophy Bites,
Free rider problem,
Humanism,
Is war innate?,
Wittgenstein.

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