(b. 1713, Edinburgh, d. 1784, Dover)

Portrait of David Hume 1766 Oil on canvas Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh

David Hume (1711-1776) was a Scottish empiricist philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, who conceived of philosophy as the inductive, experimental science of human nature. Taking the scientific method of the English physicist Sir Isaac Newton as his model and building on the epistemology of the English philosopher John Locke, Hume tried to describe how the mind works in acquiring what is called knowledge. He concluded that no theory of reality is possible; there can be no knowledge of anything beyond experience. Despite the enduring impact of his theory of knowledge, Hume seems to have considered himself chiefly as a moralist.

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Author: RAMSAY, Allan Title: Portrait of David Hume Time-line: 1751-1800 School: English Form: painting