How can the principles of human nature be systematically analyzed to provide a foundation for all sciences? David Hume, an 18th-century Scottish philosopher, argues that human knowledge is derived entirely from experience and sensory impressions rather than innate ideas. By applying the experimental method to the study of the mind, he challenges traditional metaphysical assumptions regarding causality, personal identity, and morality. This edition, edited by David and Mary Norton, provides a rigorous scholarly framework for examining Hume's foundational arguments.

Scholars and philosophers recognize this edition as the definitive standard for studying Hume's primary text due to its meticulous editorial accuracy. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which requires careful engagement with 18th-century philosophical terminology.