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John Wright:
Redefining philosopher
David Hume
Philosophy
Philosophy professor John Prentice Wright is
researching the work of 18th Century
Scottish philosopher David Hume. He is
writing two works – an annotation of one of
Hume’s earliest works, An Essay on Chivalry
and Modern Honor, and Hume’s ‘Treatise of
Human Nature’: An Introduction, a book to be
published by Cambridge University Press.
Significance
“Hume is still a very central figure today,
even more now than ever before. His
skepticism fascinates people. Also, his
moral philosophy has become extremely
important to contemporary ethical theory. He
was opposed to factions – something we can
relate to today, as we see people adhering
unthinkingly to the Republican or Democrat
ideologies. He didn’t approve of the idea of
parties. He thought that morals have nothing
to do with religion. In fact, he argued that
religious extremism causes immorality – a
claim that is particularly relevant in our
post 9/11 world. His moral theory focused on
evaluating human character and understanding
the influences which shape it.”
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