Skip to Main Content

Introduction to Historical Theology: David Hume

Class study on Church History

Brief Biographical Summary

David Hume was an 18th Century Scottish philosopher. Hume was an empiricist, believing that knowledge comes through our sensory experiences. One of Hume's major topics of discussion was human nature. Hume wrote against rationalists saying that there is no such thing as innate idea, all human knowledge is a result of experience. Essentially, all knowledge is the result of a perceived experience with an object or from abstract reasoning about the relationship about said perceived experiences. Another of Hume's contributions was as a sentimentalist. Hume held the belief that ethics are purely based on emotion rather than natural moral principle. Hume was extremely influential on the philosophers that would come after such as Immanuel Kant. 

Encyclopedias

Hume's Writings

Biographies


Kristine Kay Hasse Memorial Library • 801 Seminary Place • St. Louis, MO 63105
Founded by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
circulation desk: 314-505-7030
CHAT 24/7 | librarycirc@csl.edu

All guides licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.