Hume's Essays

Max Skjönsberg is Assistant Professor of Humanities in the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida. He is the author of The Persistence of Party: Ideas of Harmonious Discord in Eighteenth-Century Britain (Cambridge, 2021), and the editor of Catharine Macaulay's Political Writings (Cambridge, 2023). Felix Waldmann is a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He is the editor of Further Letters of David Hume (2014) and he is editing the Clarendon Edition of David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion and Occasional Writings.

'This work is exceptionally comprehensive, given the breadth of Hume's Essays, and offers, through consistently insightful analyses, a deeper understanding of the context of their reception, their content, their form, and their connections to Hume's other works. It is an invaluable tool for understanding the developments, shifts, and evolutions evident in the Scottish philosopher's thought on various issues, compared to his earlier works. It is intended for readers familiar with Hume's thought, but also more broadly for those interested in the history of the dissemination of Scottish Enlightenment works in the 18th century, and constitutes a precious contribution to Hume studies.' Iris Douzant, Archives de philosophie

• Introduction Max Skjönsberg and Felix Waldmann; Part I. Reception: 1. The reception of Hume's essays in eighteenth-century Britain Mark G. Spencer and Mikko Tolonen; 2. The reception of Hume's essays in eighteenth-century Germany Lina Weber; 3. The reception of Hume's essays in eighteenth-century France Laura Nicolì; Part II. Philosophy: 4. Hume's essays as Philosophy Margaret Watkins; 5. 'The sentiments of sects': Epicurean, Stoic, Platonist, Sceptic Tim Stuart-Buttle; 6. Aesthetics and the arts in Hume's essays Timothy M. Costelloe; 7. Religion, anticlericalism and the worldly paths to happiness in Hume's essays R. J. W. Mills; Part III. Politics: 8. Reconstructing Oceana: Hume's 'idea of a perfect commonwealth' Danielle Charette; 9. 'One of the most difficult problems, that can be met with': Hume on political parties Max Skjönsberg; 10. Hume on eloquence and the failings of English Political Oratory Ross Carroll; 11. Hume and population Sylvana Tomaselli; 12. Hume on economic inequality Margaret Schabas; 13. Hume and the politics of Money Tom Hopkins; Bibliography; Index.