A Treatise of Human Nature · Chapter
A Treatise of Human Nature explained
This foundational chapter introduces Hume's ambitious project: to apply the experimental method of reasoning to moral subjects, establishing a science of human nature.
What happens
This foundational chapter introduces Hume's ambitious project: to apply the experimental method of reasoning to moral subjects, establishing a science of human nature. It sets the stage for a detailed examination of the origins, composition, and associations of our perceptions, beginning with the distinction between impressions and ideas.
Themes in this chapter
Empiricism and the Primacy of Impressions
The chapter's introduction establishes the foundational premise that all knowledge derives from experience, beginning with the distinction between lively impressions and their fainter copies, ideas.
Characters to notice
- David Hume
The author and central figure, introducing his experimental method for moral philosophy.
Key passages
“A Treatise of Human Nature Being an Attempt to Introduce the Experimental Method of Reasoning Into Moral Subjects”
This work aims to apply the scientific method of observation and experimentation to the study of human thought, feeling, and behavior.
Hume's title explicitly states his core methodological ambition.