If you're intrigued by the interplay between observation and philosophy, Hume's "A Treatise of Human Nature" provides a thoughtful dive into the origins of human concepts and beliefs. It's a seminal work that seems as if it could be heavy, but Hume's systematic exploration of causation, identity, and morality still echoes through modern discussions of philosophy and ethics. For anyone interested in the roots of psychological philosophy and the intellectual underpinnings of human understanding, this dense but rewarding text can offer profound insights.

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A Treatise of Human Nature: Being an Attempt to introduce the Experimental Method of Reasoning into Moral Subjects (1739-40), David Hume's comprehensive attempt to base philosophy on a new, observationally grounded study of human nature, is one of the most important texts in Western philosophy. It's also a focal point of current attempts to understand 18th-century philosophy. The Treatise 1st explains how we form concepts like cause & effect, external existence & personal identity, & to form compelling but unconfirmable beliefs in the entities represented by them. It then offers a novel account of the passions, explains freedom & necessity as they apply to choices & actions, & concludes with detailed explanations of how we distinguish between virtue & vice & of the kinds of virtue. Hume's Abstract of the Treatise outlines his chief argument regarding our conception of, & belief in, cause & effect. The texts printed here are those of the critical edition of Hume's philosophical works now being published by the Clarendon Press. The volume includes a substantial introduction explaining the aims of the Treatise as a whole & of each of its ten parts, extensive annotations, a glossary of terms, a comprehensive index & further reading suggestions.

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