David Hume and Eighteenth-Century America
The Impact of Hume's Philosophy on American Political Ideas
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Published:1st Jan '10
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- Hardback£99.00(9781580461184)
This book explores the significant impact of Hume's ideas on early American political thought, challenging assumptions of his minimal influence.
This book offers a comprehensive exploration of the impact that David Hume's philosophical works had on early American political thought. It challenges the prevailing notions that Hume's influence was minimal in the eighteenth century, presenting a nuanced view of how his ideas were received and interpreted by American thinkers. Contrary to the belief that Hume's writings were largely ignored, the text reveals that they were, in fact, engaged with in various contexts, shaping the political discourse of the time.
David Hume and Eighteenth-Century America delves into the availability of Hume's works across the American colonies, utilizing a diverse range of sources such as book catalogues and periodicals. The author meticulously traces the readership of Hume, addressing questions about who read his texts and how they were utilized in the formation of American political ideology. This investigation highlights the significance of Hume's History of England, which was particularly influential among American intellectuals, informing their understanding of governance and revolution.
The book also discusses the later decline of Hume's reputation in America, particularly in light of Thomas Jefferson's criticisms. By examining the reception of Hume's ideas, the author sheds light on the broader social history of ideas in early America, illustrating how Hume's philosophical contributions were integral to the development of American political thought during a transformative period in history.
This is an exceptionally good book: it unequivocally establishes the prevalence of 'flawed assessments of Hume's reception in America, [and] serious misunderstandings about the intellectual origins of the American Revolution.' The book is very well-written, impeccably documented, and should be in every self-respecting library - private or institutional. * . *
--Peter Jones, Enlightenment and Dissent * . *
One central truism about historical scholarship is challenged head-on by Mark Spencer's new book. This is that all answers are necessarily provisional, subject to endless adjustment and further revision in the light of subsequent evidence and refinements in argument. That David Hume and Eighteenth-Century America is likely to brook no such contingency will be obvious to all who read it. For with exemplary commitment to the recovery and analysis of previously unknown data, it will scotch forever a series of assumptions, important to an understanding of the relationship of the Scottish Enlightenment and the American Revolution, that have hitherto enjoyed remarkable currency. -- David Allan, Scottish Historical Review
Copiously researched, David Hume and Eighteenth-Century America recovers Hume's importance, particularly as a political theorist, to a wide range of readers and writers in the late colonial, revolutionary, and early republican periods. Spencer gives the impression of leaving no stone unturned: book, catalogues, newspaper articles, political tracts, correspondence, and subscription lists are all mined for Hume's appearances and echoes. Spencer's book is a model of rigorous investigative scholarship, and is likely to remain the standard work for years to come on the topic of David Hume and eighteenth-century American political thought. -- Adam Potkay, College of William & Mary * EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LIFE *
ISBN: 9781580463447
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 800g
546 pages