The Political Thought Of David Hume: The Origins Of Liberalism And The Modern Political Imagination

Aaron Alexander Zubia argues that the Epicurean roots of David Hume’s philosophy gave rise to liberalism’s unrelenting grip on the modern political imagination. Eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher David Hume has had an outsized impact on the political thinkers who came after him, from the nineteenth-century British Utilitarians to modern American social contract theorists. In this thorough and thoughtful new work, Aaron Alexander Zubia examines the forces that shaped Hume’s thinking within the broad context of intellectual history, with particular focus on the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus and the skeptical tradition. Zubia argues that through Hume’s influence, Epicureanism—which elevates utility over moral truth—became the foundation of liberal political philosophy, which continues to dominate and limit political discourse today. Cover Title Page Copyright Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction PART ONE. Despiritualizing the World ONE. Hume’s Critique of Religion TWO. The Epicurean Critique of Religion and the New Political Science PART TWO. Liberalism’s Founding Myth THREE. Hume, Epicureanism, and the Contractarian Vision FOUR. Philosophic Foundations for a Liberal Way of Life PART THREE. The Modern Political Imagination FIVE. Conservatizing Liberalism SIX. Hume, Political Liberalism, and the Reign of “Public Reason” Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index