The A to Z of Hume's Philosophy

"Kenneth R. Merrill's The A to Z of Hume's Philosophy is a most valuable new tool for students of David Hume. The work is much more than a dictionary; the beginning of the book contains extensive eassys on Hume's life, as well as on the political and intellectual context in which he lived and wrote. These engaging essays are followed by the dictionary, a series of well-crafted entries on central concepts, themes, and philosopher related to Hume's philosophical work. The entries are clear, concise, and extensively cross-referenced. This handy reference work provides the reader with an excellent starting point for further scholarly investigation. It will be a particularly useful supplement in upper-division undergraduate courses on Hume."---Saul Traiger, professor of philosophy, Occidental College, Los Angeles, and past president of the Hume Society

"The only historical dictionary devoted to Hume's philosophical, critical, and historical works. It is a useful and important book on many levels. For the person approaching Hume for the first time, it provides an extensive sketch of Hume's life and philosophical views. Most of the dictionary entries focus on Hume's philosophical doctrines, giving both an overview of the (largely) uncontroversial elements of his position as well as points of interpretative disagreements. Other entries concern some of the historical figures to whom Hume refers in his works and philosophers who were influenced by Hume's work. Merrill's extensive bibliography gives students an excellent starting point for their own research on Hume. To seasoned Hume scholars, it provides a `ready reference' that will remind them of connections among areas in Hume's works that they ight easily overlook. While it is a histrocial dictionary, one should not assume that it is concerned solely with historical issues. Merrill regularly connects Hume's dicussions with later philosophical movements and contemporary philosophical discussions. His entry on women, for example, concerns feminist interpretations of Hume as well as more general issues in feminist philosophy. Merrill's The A to Z of Hume's Philosophy deserves a place in all research libraries as well as the personal libraries of anyone who takes Hume's work seriously."---Dan Flage, professor of philosophy, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Kenneth R. Merrill is professor of philosophy emeritus and former department chair at the University of Oklahoma.