Book 3: Chapter 17, Hume Summary and Analysis

David Hume (1711-76) was one of the most significant philosophers due to his work in empirical philosophy pertaining to Locke and Berkeley. His most important work was the Treatise of Human Nature written while in France, between 1734 and 1737.

He started working again in philosophy, shortened the Treatise and produced "Inquiry into Human Understanding". He then wrote "Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion" published after his death in 1779, "Essay on Miracles", "History of England", published in 1755, and then attempted to prove that Tories were superior to Wigs as well as Scotchmen to Englishmen. He went to Paris in 1763, befriended and fought with Rousseau.

Hume agreed with Berkeley that general ideas were also particular and assigned to a certain term, gaining more significance while allowing for inference to individual terms. He thought that abstract ideas could be represented in an individual...