Owen on Humean Reason

Hume Studies 26 (2):291-303 (2000)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

This article is a critical discussion of David Owen's book, _Hume's Reason. Owen rightly emphasizes (i) that an understanding of Hume's theory of reasoning is essential to understanding his philosophy and (ii) that an understanding of early modern antiformalism in logic is crucial to understanding Hume's theory of reasoning. Against most commentators, Owen and I agree that Hume's famous conclusion about inductive inferences, i.e., that they are "not determin'd by reason"--is a causal rather a normative claim; however, I dispute Owen's particular interpretation of this conclusion, arguing instead for an interpretation that allows Hume to use the term 'reason' univocally to mean "the inferential faculty." While agreeing with Owen that Hume regards the "wise" use of reason as a moral virtue, I argue that Hume's _endorsement of the use of reason is not entirely dependent on this fact

Categories

Keywords

Reprint years

ISBN(s)

03197336

DOI

10.1353/hms.2000.a385727

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 91,322

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

My notes

Similar books and articles

Non-relative reasons and Humean thought: If what is a reason for you is a reason for me, where does that leave the Humean?Chrisoula Andreou - 2007 - Metaphilosophy 38 (5):654-668.
Weakness of will.Frank Jackson - 1984 - Mind 93 (369):1-18.
Hume's reason.David Owen - 1999 - New York: Oxford University Press.
Humean motivation and Humean rationality.Mark van Roojen - 1995 - Philosophical Studies 79 (1):37-57.
Graced response: John Owen on faith and reason.Sebastian Rehnman - 2011 - Neue Zeitschrift für Systematicsche Theologie Und Religionsphilosophie 53 (4):431-449.
Weighting for a plausible Humean theory of reasons.Mark Schroeder - 2007 - Noûs 41 (1):110–132.
The Humean theory of reasons.Mark Schroeder - 2007 - In Russ Shafer-Landau (ed.), Oxford Studies in Metaethics, Volume 2. Oxford University Press. pp. 195--219.
Reasons for actions and desires.Ulrike Heuer - 2004 - Philosophical Studies 121 (1):43–63.
Humean Instrumentalism and the Motivational Capacity of Reason.Patrick Yarnell - 2002 - Journal of Philosophical Research 27:499-509.
Desires as reasons.Yonatan Shemmer - 2007 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 75 (2):326–348.
Theories of content and theories of motivation.Ralph Wedgwood - 1995 - European Journal of Philosophy 3 (3):273-288.
Sometimes the world is not enough: The pursuit of explanatory laws in a Humean world.Barry Ward - 2003 - Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 84 (2):175–197.

Analytics

Added to PP
2011-01-09

Downloads
43 (#360,193)

6 months
10 (#257,583)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Don Garrett
New York University

Citations of this work

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references