The Humors in Hume's Skepticism

Abstract

In the conclusion to the first book of the Treatise, Hume’s skeptical reflections have plunged him into melancholy. He then proceeds through a complex series of stages, resulting in renewed interest in philosophy. Interpreters have struggled to explain the connection between the stages. I argue that Hume’s repeated invocation of the four humors of ancient and medieval medicine explains the succession, and sheds a new light on the significance of skepticism. The humoral context not only reveals that Hume conceives of skepticism primarily as a temperament, not a philosophical view or system. It also resolves a puzzle about how Hume can view skepticism as both an illness and a cure. The skeptical temperament can, depending on its degree of predominance, either contribute to or upset the balance of temperaments required for proper mental functioning.

Hume's Constitutivist Response to Scepticism

“…Livingston (1998: 11) takes Hume's self-knowledge as a philosopher as a central theme in the "Conclusion", but he does not associate this insight with Hume's actual theory of person or person-directed passions. Goldhaber (2021) approaches the emotional turmoil and Hume's existential concerns in the "Conclusion", focusing on the history of humoral theory. But he does not pay particular attention to the indirect passions.…”

Hume's skeptical philosophy and the moderation of pride

“…For a reading on which Hume's skepticism can restore a healthy balance, seeGoldhaber (2021). On the evolution of Hume's attitudes toward the durability of skepticism and its effects on our doxastic dispositions, seeRibeiro (2009) andQu (2020).24 Following Hume, I have focused on the humbling effects of confusion.…”