What A Treatise of Human Nature is about
Hume's ambitious account of reason, emotion, habit and moral judgement. David Hume wrote it in 1739 to 1740. It sits in the philosophy shelf of the library.
The edition you read
The original text is the David Hume, 1739 to 1740, a public domain edition. The text is complete and keeps its own chapter structure, so every reading points back to the same place in the book.
Where to start
The book opens with these readings, in order. The first one is free in the app.
- SECTION I.: Of The Origin Of Our Ideas
- SECTION II.: Division Of The Subject
- SECTION III.: Of The Ideas Of The Memory And Imagination
- SECTION IV.: Of The Connexion Or Association Of Ideas
How the readings are split
The 120 readings follow the book's own divisions, grouped into 10 parts. Each reading is a sitting of a few minutes, and the reader remembers the paragraph where you stopped.
Reading it in plain English
Every reading has a plain English draft written paragraph by paragraph, and a short guide with context, an explanation, takeaways and a question to think about. The drafts are labeled Unreviewed plain English draft. Drafts, guides and the readings after the first one need Athenaeum Membership.
Questions about A Treatise of Human Nature
Is A Treatise of Human Nature free to read?
The David Hume, 1739 to 1740 is in the public domain. In Athenaeum the first of its 120 readings is free, and Athenaeum Membership opens the rest.
How long is A Treatise of Human Nature?
Athenaeum splits it into 120 readings. Short books take a week of evenings, and long ones work best a reading or two at a time.
Read A Treatise of Human Nature in Athenaeum
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