Philosophical Works, v. 1 (of 4) Including All the Essays, and Exhibiting the More Important Alterations and Corrections in the Successive Editions Published by the Author

Step into the mind of one of the Enlightenment’s most incisive thinkers as his essays and treatises are gathered into a single, meticulously edited volume. The collection opens with Hume’s own account of his life, followed by a spirited exchange with Rousseau that reveals the personal stakes behind their philosophical rivalry. From early explorations of moral and political thought to later, more cautious revisions, the text traces how his ideas about human nature, causation, and the limits of knowledge evolved over decades.

Listeners will encounter the foundational Treatise of Human Nature, where Hume dissects the origins of ideas, the workings of memory and imagination, and the associations that shape our beliefs. The work also includes the celebrated Enquiry into the Principles of Morals, a concise meditation on virtue, sentiment, and the roots of ethical judgment. Presented with careful notes that highlight textual changes, this edition invites you to hear the progression of a philosophy that remains strikingly relevant today.