David Hume: A Dissertation on the Passions; The Natural History of Religion (Clarendon Hume Edition Series)

A Dissertation On The Passions And The Natural History Of Religion Were First Published In 1757 In A Volume Entitled Four Dissertations, The Last Philosophical Work Written By Hume. The Natural History Is An Original Work On Religion As A Natural Phenomenon. It Discusses Ways In Which Human Nature Gives Rise To Religious Belief And Devotion. It Is The Only Major Work Devoted Exclusively To The Subject Of Religion That Hume Lived To See Through The Press Himself. In His Dissertation On The Passions, Hume Revisits His Theory Of The Passions First Presented In Book 2 Of A Treatise Of Human Nature. He Identifies The Issues Of Chief Importance To Him And Clarifies And Revises Many Passages In The Treatise. The Last Edition Of Both Works Seen Through The Press By Hume Appeared In 1772. It Provides The Copy-text For The Present Edition, But All Substantive Changes To The Text Planned By Hume Before His Death Are Taken Into Account. The Editor's Historical Introduction Discusses The Genesis, Revision, Publishing History, And Reception Of These Works, Which Went Into Nine Editions At The Author's Hand. Annotations Provide Information About Hume's Sources, Allusions, Citations, And Terminology. Biographical Sketches Of All Of The Individuals Mentioned By Hume In The Work Are Supplied In A Separate Appendix. Two Bibliographies List The Works Cited By Hume And By The Editor, And A Bibliographical History Of Work On The Passions Is Provided. Hume's Original Index To These Texts Is Reproduced, And A Separate, Comprehensive Index Is Provided By The Editor. The Critical Apparatus Charts All Substantive Variations Between Editions And Reports All Editorial Revisions.--jacket. A Dissertation On The Passions -- The Natural History Of Religion. That Polytheism Was The Primary Religion Of Men ; Origin Of Polytheism ; The Same Subject Continued ; Deities Not Considered As Creators Or Formers Of The World ; Various Forms Of Polytheism : Allegory, Hero-worship ; Origin Of Theism From Polytheism ; Confirmation Of This Doctrine ; Flux And Reflux Of Polytheism And Theism ; Comparison Of These Religions, With Regard To Persecution And Toleration ; With Regard To Courage Or Abasement ; With Regard To Reason Or Absurdity ; With Regard To Doubt Or Conviction ; Impious Conceptions Of The Divine Nature In Popular Religions Or Both Kinds ; Bad Influence Of Popular Religions On Morality ; General Corollary. David Hume ; Edited By Tom L. Beauchamp. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [241]-263) And Indexes.