Hume's Secular Paradigm: Skepticism and Historical Knowledge
Author's Department
English Language Instruction Dept (ELI)
Document Type
Research Article
Publication Title
History of Philosophy Quarterly
Publication Date
7-2008
Abstract
David Hume’s ‘History of England’ is an ambitious work that helps demonstrate how the modern historian can interpret the crucial events that define human communities as continuous in time. This paper is directly concerned with the significance of Hume's historical method, his view of human agency and the role of the English Constitution in appraising the meaning of secularity in his historical work. The more fundamental purpose of the paper will be to show that the study of history was not incidental to his task as a philosopher but, on the contrary, relates to his deeper view of how we experience the world in terms of fundamental categories of time and meaning.
First Page
243
Last Page
257
Recommended Citation
Melaney, William D. (2008). Hume's Secular Paradigm: Skepticism and Historical Knowledge. History of Philosophy Quarterly 25 (3):243 - 257.