What is David Hume most famous for?

David Hume is famous for being a Scottish Enlightenment philosopher who challenged the usefulness of religion and promoted the value of the senses and experience in our acquisition of knowledge. He also wrote a popular history of England.

What are the 3 most important concepts of Hume?

3 important concepts proposed by David Hume are: humans do not only act out of self-interest; knowledge and understanding come from experience; and because it is impossible to know for certain if God exists, religious activities are a waste of time.

David Hume Timeline

Definition

David Hume (1711-1776) was a Scottish philosopher, writer, historian, and important figure in the Enlightenment. Hume presented a positive view of human nature but a sceptical view of religion's usefulness. His Treatise of Human Nature was later a hugely influential philosophical work, but his fame and fortune in his own lifetime came from his popular six-volume History of England.

More about: David Hume

Timeline

1711 - 1776
Life of the Scottish philosopher David Hume.
7 May 1711
The philosopher David Hume is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1734
David Hume moves to La Flèche in northwest France.
1740
David Hume publishes his A Treatise of Human Nature.
1748
David Hume publishes his An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding.
1751
David Hume publishes his An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals.
1752
David Hume is appointed Keeper of the Advocates’ Library in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1754
David Hume publishes the first volume of his History of England.
1757
David Hume publishes his Dissertation on the Passions.
25 Aug 1776
The philsopher David Hume dies in Edinburgh, Scotland.