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Thoughts. If Edmund Burke pondered over one of the key questions of political theory, “who guards us from the guardians?”, David Hume was pondering an equally difficult problem: “why is it so easy for the few in power to govern the many?”
Jan 20, 2024 · Nothing is more surprising than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few. In his profound and thought-provoking statement, philosopher David Hume reflects upon the astonishing phenomenon of how a small number of individuals manage to govern the masses effortlessly.
David Hume argued that Individual Liberty emerged slowly out of the “violent system of government” which had earlier prevailed in Europe (1778)
Right is of two kinds, right to Power and right to Property. What prevalence opinion of the first kind has over mankind, may easily be understood, by observing the attachment which all nations have to their ancient government, and even to those names, which have had the sanction of antiquity.
- There is no such thing as freedom of choice unless there is freedom to refuse. David Hume. Choices, Freedom Of Choice, Refuse.
- A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence. David Hume. Wise, Wisdom, Knowledge.
- When men are most sure and arrogant they are commonly most mistaken. David Hume. Men, Stupidity, Arrogance.
- All knowledge degenerates into probability. David Hume. Knowledge, Science, Degenerates.
David Hume (b. 1711–d. 1776) was one of the central figures of what we now commonly call the Scottish Enlightenment. He lived and wrote during a time when questions about Scotland’s political future and its place both in Britain and in the world figured prominently.
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“It is not with forms of government,” Hume warns, “as with other artificial contrivances; where an old engine may be rejected, if we can discover another more accurate and commodious, or where trials may safely be made, even though the success be doubtful” (ESY 512).
