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Hume's preference for the enquiry: A reply to Miller
Buckle, Stephen
Buckle, Stephen
Author
Abstract
Jon Charles Miller argues that the ‘New Humeans’ stress the primacy of An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding over A Treatise of Human Nature, and that this is indefensible because it relies on omitting and distorting negative aspects surrounding Hume's statements of this preference. Miller's argument is not successful: first, the battle lines between ‘Old’ and ‘New’ Humeans are not reducible to the primacy of either text; nor are his specific objections to the letters convincing. Moreover, the Enquiry is not, as Miller supposes, softer than the Treatise on controversial religious questions. In fact, his particular focus on religious questions provides a plausible explanation for Hume's preference.
Keywords
Date
2013
Type
Journal article
Journal
British Journal for the History of Philosophy
Book
Volume
21
Issue
6
Page Range
1219-1229
Article Number
ACU Department
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Open Access Status
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Controlled