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David Hume
David Hume (1711-1776) was a Scottish philosopher, writer, historian, and important figure in the Enlightenment. Hume presented a positive view of human nature but a sceptical view of religion's usefulness. His Treatise of Human Nature was...
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David Hume by Ramsay
A 1754 oil on canvas portrait by Allan Ramsay of the Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776). (National Galleries Scotland)
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Statue of David Hume
A statue of the Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776). Located on Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
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David Hume, 1766
A 1766 oil on canvas portrait by Allan Ramsay of the Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776). (Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh)
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Mausoleum of David Hume
The mausoleum of the Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776) in the Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh.
Definition
Social Contract
The social contract is an idea in philosophy that at some real or hypothetical point in the past, humans left the state of nature to join together and form societies by mutually agreeing which rights they would enjoy and how they would be...
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Title Page, Treatise of Human Nature
The title page of Treatise on Human Nature by the Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776). A key text of the Enlightenment, it was first published in 1740. The quote from Tacitus reads: "It is the rare happiness of these days that one...
Definition
Yomi
Yomi, or Yomi-tsu-kuni, is the underworld of the Shinto religion, even if it forms no part of Shinto theology and appears only in ancient myths as told in the 8th-century CE Kojiki, notably the story of the creator gods Izanami and Izanagi...
Definition
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment (Age of Reason) was a revolution in thought in Europe and North America from the late 17th century to the late 18th century. The Enlightenment involved new approaches in philosophy, science, and politics. Above all, the...
Definition
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was a German Enlightenment thinker who is widely regarded as one of the most important philosophers of any period. His most famous works of critical philosophy include The Critique of Pure Reason, which challenged...