Born in Edinburgh
Born on 7 May 1711 in the Gregorian calendar, Hume grew up between Edinburgh and Ninewells.
Empiricism · Mitigated skepticism · 1711–1776
David Hume
Examine what our habits lead us to believe.
Scotland · France · England
Biography
The thread of a life.
David Hume was born in Edinburgh in 1711 and grew up between the city and the family estate at Ninewells. Entering university unusually young, he turned away from law toward literature and philosophy. A period of physical and intellectual difficulties preceded his stay in France, particularly at La Flèche. There he composed much of A Treatise of Human Nature, published in 1739–1740. His ambition was already considerable: to introduce an experimental method into the study of mind. The book’s disappointing reception prompted lasting reflection on how to write for different audiences.
Residence in France
In France, particularly at La Flèche, he developed an experimental science of human nature.
The Treatise
The books on understanding and passions appeared in 1739, the book on morals in 1740.
The two Enquiries
Hume rewrote his arguments in more accessible forms without simply repeating the Treatise.
Historian and librarian
Access to a major library supported a six-volume History of England.
Paris and European exchange
Diplomatic service brought him into Parisian salons; his relationship with Rousseau ended in conflict.
Death and posthumous publication
He died on 25 August 1776; the Dialogues concerning Natural Religion appeared in 1779.
Understanding a life in depth
01A Scottish education and a book written in France
David Hume was born in Edinburgh in 1711 and grew up between the city and the family estate at Ninewells. Entering university unusually young, he turned away from law toward literature and philosophy. A period of physical and intellectual difficulties preceded his stay in France, particularly at La Flèche. There he composed much of A Treatise of Human Nature, published in 1739–1740. His ambition was already considerable: to introduce an experimental method into the study of mind. The book’s disappointing reception prompted lasting reflection on how to write for different audiences.
02Essays, enquiries and barriers to an academic career
The Essays, Moral and Political of 1741–1742 met with a better reception. Hume subsequently reworked his analyses in the Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and the Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals; neither book is merely a summary of the Treatise. His university applications failed amid hostility toward his religious reputation. He worked as a tutor and accompanied General St Clair on assignments that broadened his experience of European politics. These activities show that his investigation of passions and institutions developed in contact with concrete social practices as well as philosophical argument.
03Historian, diplomat and man of letters
In 1752 Hume became librarian to Edinburgh’s Faculty of Advocates, facilitating the documentary work for his History of England. Its six volumes, published between 1754 and 1762, brought considerable fame and income. During the 1760s he served with the British embassy in Paris and participated in salon culture. He helped Rousseau travel to England, but their relationship collapsed into a public quarrel. Hume later held administrative office in London before returning to Edinburgh. His sociability challenges the image of a skeptic condemned to isolation and shows the many audiences for his work.
04Last writings and contested legacies
Hume died in 1776 after writing a brief autobiography and arranging the fate of the Dialogues concerning Natural Religion, published in 1779. His influence extends across epistemology, economics, history and aesthetics. Kant made Hume’s problem of causation a starting point for his own transformation. The corpus also contains a racist note in the essay on national characters, whose versions require precise examination. Recognizing these prejudices removes neither the task of assessing the skeptical arguments nor that of questioning the historical limits of his project for a science of humanity.
Hume died in 1776 after writing a brief autobiography and arranging the fate of the Dialogues concerning Natural Religion, published in 1779. His influence extends across epistemology, economics, history and aesthetics. Kant made Hume’s problem of causation a starting point for his own transformation. The corpus also contains a racist note in the essay on national characters, whose versions require precise examination. Recognizing these prejudices removes neither the task of assessing the skeptical arguments nor that of questioning the historical limits of his project for a science of humanity.
Sources & reference points