David Hume on history, development and happiness: interconnections

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the interconnections between Hume’s thought as a philosopher, a historian and an economist, illustrated with respect to his thought on history, development and happiness. It is argued that differences in the interpretation of Hume have an epistemological origin, reflecting either a closed-system approach or some kind of open-system approach. These differences are explored in relation to Hume’s own epistemology, historiography, theory of economic development and theory of happiness. Patterns are identified in Hume’s thought which support a particular, open-system, interpretation of his contributions in each area in terms of interdependent processes.

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