Philosophical Melancholy and Delirium: Hume's Pathology of PhilosophyThe Scottish philosopher David Hume is commonly understood as the original proponent of the "end of philosophy." In this powerful new study, Donald Livingston completely revises our understanding of Hume's thought through his investigation of Hume's distinction between "true" and "false" philosophy. For Hume, false philosophy leads either to melancholy over the groundlessness of common opinion or delirium over transcending it, while true philosophy leads to wisdom. Livingston traces this distinction through all of Hume's writings, providing a systematic pathology of the corrupt philosophical consciousness in history, politics, philosophy, and literature that characterized Hume's own time as well as ours. By demonstrating how a philosophical method can be used to expose the political motivations behind intellectual positions, historical events, and their subsequent interpretations, Livingston revitalizes Hume's thought and reveals its relevance for contemporary dicussions of politics, nationalism, and ideology for the first time. |
Contents
The Dialectic of True and False Philosophy | 17 |
The Origin of the Philosophical Act in Human Nature | 53 |
The Ancient Philosophy | 80 |
Philosophy and Christendom | 102 |
The Modern Philosophy | 119 |
True Philosophy and the Skeptical Tradition | 143 |
True Philosophy and Civilization | 173 |
False Philosophy and Barbarism | 217 |
The Poor Infatuated Americans | 290 |
Hume and America | 317 |
Humes Conception of Macropolitical Order | 324 |
A Humean Free State versus | 333 |
Secession and the Modern State | 358 |
Preserving Ones Humanity in the First Philosophic Age | 383 |
Notes | 409 |
| 427 | |
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Common terms and phrases
absolute monarchy abstract American ancient appears argued authority autonomy belief Britain character Christian civil colonies common compact theory constitution contract theory corrupt philosophical critical culture David Hume dialectic of true disposition divine doctrine dominion eloquence empire empiricism English English Civil War enthusiasm experience false philosophy French Revolution Giambattista Vico heroic human nature Hume calls Hume thought Humean ideal ideology imagination independent inquiry John Home judgment liberal mankind ment mind modern monarchy moral nation participation passions philo philoso philosophical act philosophical consciousness philosophical reflection philosophical theism political order polytheism practice of liberty prejudices principle Pyrrhonian Pyrrhonism question reason regime religion religious republic republican Rousseau rule of law sacred tradition secede secession secular self-knowledge sentiments skepticism society sophical speculative Stoic subvert tion tradition Treatise true and false true philosophy truth understanding Union unitary virtue vulgar theism Whig Whiggism whole Wilkes and Liberty