The Origins of David Hume's Economics

243 Pages·2010·0.986 MB·English

by  Willie Henderson

The Origins of David Hume’s
Economics
David Hume devoted only a small part of his total output to questions of
direct economic significance yet he is highly esteemed as an economics writer.
His main philosophical work, the T reatise of Human Nature , failed to live up
to Hume’s expectations in terms of literary success. Hume reviewed the liter-
ary qualities of the Treatise and decided that it was written under a creative
spurt of youthful enthusiasm. He wanted his ideas recognized and discussed
and in the early 1740s turns his attention to essay writing. His early success
in this genre encouraged him to explore further his ideas on the development
of commercial society both politically and economically. The outcome was a
series of essays that brought his philosophical ideas into line with a reader-
ship interested in exploring ideas about their own developing society.
The book covers Hume’s biographical development; his self appraisal as
a ‘man of letters’; his philosophical writings with emphasis on their direct
and indirect economic content; his self-aware criticism of his approach to
the T reatise and the development of his rhetorical understanding of the
needs/interests of his readers/potential readers; his rhetorical turn and
Ciceronian adjustments to his writing within the genre of the essay, includ-
ing his two Enquiries ; his political essays and his nine essays conventionally
classified as economic. The work aims to show how the T reatise and its
vicissitudes gave rise to his economics.
The work takes a broad approach to Hume and his writings on economic
topics from the T reatise , through the Enquires and on to his political and
economic essay. The work also explores Hume’s textual method and charts
the move from abstruse philosophy to a Ciceronian engagement with social
conditions and problems as developed in the P olitical Discourses . In addi-
tion, Hume’s extensive use of analogies is also brought into clearer focus
than is found in other texts. Overall, the book will be of great use to both
postgraduates and undergraduates alike.
Dr Willie Henderson’ s works approach the analysis of economic ideas via
context and content with emphasis put on the constructed nature of past
economics writing. His background is interdisciplinary and he brings a
diverse range of techniques and experience to his scholarly writing.
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The Origins of David
Hume’s Economics
Willie Henderson