Religion and faction in Hume's moral philosophy /

Herdt (religion, Univ. of Florida) offers a detailed analysis of Hume's account of sympathy and the role it plays in governing social interaction. According to Herdt, Hume is attempting "to replace Providence with a wholly non-theological concept ... without reducing morality to a hidden expression of self-interest." In order to accomplish this task, Herdt has provided a framework of 18th-century thought and influences on Hume's writings. Extensive and detailed discussion of Hume's correspondence with Hutcheson and others provides a background for her arguments. Herdt argues that Hume's notion of the role of sympathy is best understood from historical rather than epistemological concerns, as is usually done. This places Hume's political essays and his History of England at center stage for a proper understanding of Hume and his motivations. Given this historical concern, Herdt argues that Hume was forced to challenge religious thought as being detrimental to social accord. This in turn forced Hume to find a new way to ground morality. Herdt has written a well-documented text that is particularly helpful in providing insight into the historical and contemporary influences on Hume. Graduate; faculty; professional. W. F. Desmond; Black Hawk College