David Hume, philosopher, historian, economist, librarian, and essayist, was one of the great figures of the European Enlightenment. Unlike some of his famous contemporaries, however, he was not dogmatically committed to idealised conceptions of reason, liberty, and progress. Instead, Hume was a sceptic whose arguments questioned the reach and authority of human rationality, and who put the rivalrous passions of commercial life at the centre of his theory of human nature. He believed that the modern world was in many ways superior to the ancient world, but was acutely conscious of the threats to peace and progress posed by bigotry, factionalism, and imperialism. Today Hume's works continue to speak to us powerfully in an age of instability and uncertainty.\nThis Very Short Introduction presents a balanced account of Hume's thought, giving equal attention to his work on human nature, morality, politics, and religion. Weaving together biography, the historical context, and a thoughtful exposition of Hume's arguments, James A. Harris offers a compelling picture of a thinker who had no disciples and formed no school, but whom no one in his own time was able to ignore, and who has since become central to modern philosophy's understanding of itself.\nVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring\nABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Hume: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Politics & Social Sciences

Harris, James A.

Philosophy

Oxford University Press

Of Liberty and Necessity: The Free Will Debate in Eighteenth-Century British Philosophy (Oxford Philosophical Monographs)

In Of Liberty and Necessity James A. Harris presents the first comprehensive account of the free will problem in eighteenth-century British philosophy. Harris proposes new interpretations of the positions of familiar figures such as Locke, Hume, Edwards, and Reid. He also gives careful attention to writers such as William King, Samuel Clarke, Anthony Collins, Lord Kames, James Beattie, David Hartley, Joseph Priestley, and Dugald Stewart, who, while well-known in the eighteenth century, have since been largely ignored by historians of philosophy. Through detailed textual analysis, and by making precise use of a variety of different contexts, Harris elucidates the contribution that each of these writers makes to the eighteenth-century discussion of the will and its freedom. In this period, the question of the nature of human freedom is posed principally in terms of the influence of motives upon the will. On one side of the debate are those who believe that we are free in our choices. A motive, these philosophers believe, constitutes a reason to act in a particular way, but it is up to us which motive we act upon. On the other side of the debate are those who believe that, on the contrary, there is no such thing as freedom of choice. According to these philosophers, one motive is always intrinsically stronger than the rest and so is the one that must determine choice. Several important issues are raised as this disagreement is explored and developed, including the nature of motives, the value of "indifference" to the will's freedom, the distinction between "moral" and "physical" necessity, the relation between the will and the understanding, and the internal coherence of the concept of freedom of will. One of Harris's primary objectives is to place this debate in the context of the eighteenth-century concern with replicating in the mental sphere what Newton had achieved in the philosophy of nature. All of the

The eighteenth century was a time of brilliant philosophical innovation in Britain. In Of Liberty and Necessity James A. Harris presents the first comprehensive account of the period's discussion of what remains a central problem of philosophy, the question of the freedom of the will. He offers new interpretations of contributions to the free will debate made by canonical figures such as Locke, Hume, Edwards, and Reid, and also discusses in detail the arguments of some less familiar writers. Harris puts the eighteenth-century debate about the will and its freedom in the context of the period's concern with applying what Hume calls the "experimental method of reasoning" to the human mind. His book will be of substantial interest to historians of philosophy and anyone concerned with the free will problem.

History

Clarendon Press

This is the first book to provide a comprehensive overview of the entire career of one of Britain's greatest men of letters. It sets in biographical and historical context all of Hume's works, from A Treatise of Human Nature to The History of England, bringing to light the major influences on the course of Hume's intellectual development, and paying careful attention to the differences between the wide variety of literary genres with which Hume experimented. The major events in Hume's life are fully described, but the main focus is on Hume's intentions as a philosophical analyst of human nature, politics, commerce, English history, and religion. Careful attention is paid to Hume's intellectual relations with his contemporaries. The goal is to reveal Hume as a man intensely concerned with the realization of an ideal of open-minded, objective, rigorous, dispassionate dialogue about all the principal questions faced by his age.

Hume: An Intellectual Biography

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Cambridge University Press

This concise yet comprehensive text provides a coherent and practical framework for the study and practice of land restoration and reclamation. It sets out the fundamental workings of the natural environment - terrestrial ecosystems, nutrient cycling and soil structure and gives an account of how these may be assessed, how they become degraded and the variety of processes available for reclamation and restoration; ranging from agro-forestry to the re-establishment of fully self-sustaining ecosystems.

Land Restoration Reclamation: Principles Practice

Business & Money

Palmer, John

Birch, Paul

Economics

Longman Pub. Group

Wilderness Wars is a rules set for war gaming historical miniatures. It is meant to simulate company and battalion-sized conflicts in the eighteenth century. Through the course of gaming the period for several years, it has become apparent that no current set of rules on the market accurately simulates the medium-sized conflicts of the period. Most rule sets designed for colonial warfare in this period concentrate on skirmish-level actions representing no more than several hundred men in each force. Meanwhile, rules designed for eighteenth-century European warfare are meant to simulate battles on a much larger scale than was typically found outside of Europe at that time. Wilderness Wars strives to provide rules specifically designed for scenarios in which the opposing armies typically numbered anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand men each, while maintaining the unique flavor of Wars in the Wilderness.

Wilderness Wars

Humor & Entertainment

Bock, Philip S.

Puzzles & Games

Normal Warfare Publications

Redcoats in the Wilderness is a ruleset for wargaming historical miniatures. It is meant to simulate company and battalion-sized conflicts in North America in the eighteenth century. 
Through the course of gaming the period for several years, it has become apparent that no current set of rules on the market accurately simulates the medium-sized conflicts of the period. Most rulesets designed for colonial warfare in this period concentrate on skirmish-level actions representing no more than several hundred men in each force. Meanwhile, rules designed for eighteenth-century European warfare are meant to simulate battles on a much larger scale than was typically found outside of Europe at that time. Redcoats in the Wilderness strives to provide rules specifically designed for scenarios in which the opposing armies typically numbered anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand men each while maintaining the unique flavor of Wars in the Wilderness.

Redcoats in the Wilderness: Historical Miniatures Rules for the Wilderness Wars of the 18th Century

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Harris, James A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Harris, James A.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Harris, James A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Hume: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Of Liberty and Necessity: The Free Will Debate in Eighteenth-Century British Philosophy (Oxford Philosophical Monographs)

Of Liberty and Necessity: The Free Will Debate in Eighteenth-Century British Philosophy (Oxford Philosophical Monographs)

Hume: An Intellectual Biography

Land Restoration Reclamation: Principles Practice

Wilderness Wars

Redcoats in the Wilderness: Historical Miniatures Rules for the Wilderness Wars of the 18th Century

Hume: An Intellectual Biography