Essays
by David Hume
| Hume's Essays | ||
 at the College of William & Mary. |
||
| Author | David Hume | |
| Edition | Precise edition unknown. | |
David Hume (1711 – 1776) is considered one of the most accomplished philosophers to write in the English language. Influencing many of his famous contemporaries, Hume is well known for his work as a historian and essayist. He is considered to be a "precursor of contemporary cognitive science" and a driving force in philosophical naturalism.[1] Born in Edinburgh, Hume attended the University of Edinburgh at a very young age.[2] His family intended for Hume to follow his father in law, but this was not to be. Instead, Hume devoted himself to philosophical study and writing, producing his first great work, A Treatise of Human Nature, in 1739.[3]
Hume made several reformative contributions to the field of philosophy. First, he took aim at the classical philosophers who dominated the field. He accused them of approaching their work with a subjective mindset that was "based on speculation and invention rather than experience and observation."[4] He instead advocated for an empirical approach, believing that any viable philosophical theory must be rooted in experience.[5] Secondly, Hume felt that philosophy in general should be centered around the topic of human nature.[6] This requirement is reinforced by the first. Any study made by humans that does not focus on human nature can not rely on experience and necessarily fails the first requirement. In Hume’s eyes, any philosophical theory worthy of study had to be based upon experience and focused on the subject of human nature.[7]
Hume’s philosophical works were published and distributed while conflict between American colonies and the British crown intensified. Scholars have wondered what, if any, influence Hume’s philosophy may have had on American readers during this period.[8] Their analysis could shed light on why Wythe might have writings by Hume in his personal collection.
Americans were more familiar with Hume’s work as a historian than his work as a philosopher.[9] As a Scotsman, Hume was particularly sympathetic to the anti-English sentiment brewing in the colonies.[10] "According to Hume, a state is a relationship combining individual liberty and authority. A good state is one which maintains a proper balance between these two elements."[11] This message would clearly resonate with American colonists demanding accountability and just treatment from their government. Thus, a reader such as George Wythe may have been interested in reading a work of Hume’s political essays because of its practical application to contemporary political thought. Still, while Hume expressed sympathy and support for the American cause in his personal writings, his enthusiasm was tempered by his prediction that the conflict would lead to wide destruction and disarray, and he hoped for a peaceful separation. [12]
Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library
Listed in the Jefferson Inventory of Wythe's Library as "Hume’s essays. 1st. vol. 8vo." This was one of the titles kept by Jefferson. He may have later sold it to the Library of Congress in 1815, but the volume no longer exists to verify Wythe's prior ownership. George Wythe's Library[13] on LibraryThing indicates "Precise edition unknown." The Brown Bibliography[14] lists the first edition (1741/42) published in Edinburgh while admitting that we do not know which edition Wythe owned. It seems likely that Wythe would have had an earlier edition of the title rather than a later one. His good friend and Scotsman, William Small,[15] joined the William & Mary faculty in 1758. Small, Wythe, Thomas Jefferson and Governor Francis Fauquier must surely have discussed Hume's Essays among their many dinner conversations before Small's return to Scotland in 1762.[16] With this evidence, only the Edinburgh first edition and the 1753 duodecimo London edition seem plausible entries in Wythe's library.
As of yet, the Wolf Law Library has been unable to procure a copy of Essays.
See also
- George Wythe Room
- The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution of 1688
- Jefferson Inventory
- Wythe's Library
References
- ↑ William Edward Morris, "David Hume" in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, accessed October 7, 2013.
- ↑ John Robertson, "Hume, David (1711–1776)" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed October 7, 2013.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "David Hume," William Edward Morris and Charlotte R. Brown, last modified November 1, 2023 [1]
- ↑ Morris and Brown, "David Hume."
- ↑ Morris and Brown, "David Hume."
- ↑ Morris and Brown, "David Hume."
- ↑ John M. Werner, "David Hume and America," Journal of the History of Ideas 33, no. 3 (1972): 439.
- ↑ Werner, "David Hume," 141.
- ↑ Werner, "David Hume," 447.
- ↑ Werner, "David Hume," 444.
- ↑ Werner, "David Hume," 446.
- ↑ LibraryThing, s.v. "Member: George Wythe" accessed on February 3, 2015.
- ↑ Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012, rev. May, 2014) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433
- ↑ Lyon Gardiner Tyler, "George Wythe, 1726-1806," in Great American Lawyers, ed. William Draper Lewis (Philadelphia, PA: John C. Winston, 1907): 67.
- ↑ Thomas Jefferson Randolph, ed., Memoir, Correspondence and Miscellanies from the Papers of Thomas Jefferson (Charlottesville, VA: F. Carr, 1829), 1:2.