|
''A Treatise of Human Nature'' is a book by Scottish philosopher David Hume, first published (in parts) from the end of 1738 to 1740.〔The book has appeared in many editions after the death of the author. See via Archive.org; ; via Archive.org〕 The full title of the ''Treatise'' is ''A Treatise of Human Nature: Being an Attempt to Introduce the Experimental Method of Reasoning into Moral Subjects''. It contains the following sections: * Book 1: "Of the Understanding" – An investigation into human cognition. Important statements of Skepticism. * Book 2: "Of the Passions" – A treatment of emotions and free will. * Book 3: "Of Morals" – A treatment of moral ideas, justice, obligations, benevolence. == Background == While many scholars today consider the ''Treatise'' to be Hume's most important work and one of the most important books in the history of philosophy, the public in Britain did not at first agree. Hume himself described the (lack of) public reaction to the publication of the ''Treatise'' by writing that the book "fell dead-born from the press."〔Hume, David (1776), ''My Own Life'', Appendix A of Ernest Campbell Mossner, ''The Life of David Hume'', University of Texas Press, 1954, p. 612.〕 Hume intended to see whether the ''Treatise'' met with success and, if so, to complete it with books devoted to morals, politics, and criticism.〔Before the Introduction, Hume inserted an "Advertisement," or warning. It read as follows: My design in the present work is sufficiently explain'd in the ''introduction''. The reader must only observe, that all the subjects I have there plann'd out to myself, are not treated of in these two volumes. The subjects of the ''understanding'' and ''passions'' make a compleat chain of reasoning by themselves; and I was willing to take advantage of this natural division, in order to try the taste of the public. If I have the good fortune to meet with success, I shall proceed to the examination of ''morals'', ''politics'', and ''criticism''; which will compleat this ''Treatise of human nature''.〕 It did not meet with success, and so was not completed. After deciding that the ''Treatise'' had problems of style rather than of content, he reworked some of the material for more popular consumption in ''An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding'' (1748). It did not prove extremely successful either, but was somewhat more so than the ''Treatise''. He later also "cast anew" Book 3 of the ''Treatise'' as ''An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals'' (1751), which Hume wrote is "of all my writings, historical, philosophical, or literary, incomparably the best."〔Hume, David (1776) ''My Own Life'', URL = <(http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/econ/ugcm/3ll3/hume/humelife ).>〕 The ''Treatise'' is now in the public domain. Books 1 and 2 were originally published in 1738〔 (or 1739),〔Norton, David Fate (2000), "Editor's Introduction," ''A Treatise of Human Nature'', D. F. and M. J. Norton (eds.), p. 19.〕〔Alan Bailey, Dan O'Brien, ''Hume's 'Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding': A Reader's Guide'', A&C Black, 2006, p. 2.〕 while Book 3 was published in 1740.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「A Treatise of Human Nature」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|