Celebrating Connections: Hume (1711-2011)
The Institute’s Enlightenment focus in 2011 was on David Hume, with a year-long programme to celebrate the Tercentenary of his birth.
David Hume was born in Edinburgh in 1711, attended the University of Edinburgh from 1723, and died in Edinburgh in 1776, having meanwhile achieved worldwide fame as an historian and philosopher. He and his associates were at the heart of the intellectual, literary and cultural events that are now known as the Scottish Enlightenment and he is generally recognised as the greatest philosopher ever to write in English. Today his work is studied by scholars from all over the world. Although Hume wrote in the 18th century, his works continue to be influential across a wide range of scholarship and remain uncommonly relevant to the philosophical disputes of the 21st century and a wide range of current public concerns. It was fitting, therefore, that the 300th anniversary of his birth should be celebrated here in Edinburgh in 2011.
The Institute and the University of Edinburgh marked the Tercentenary with a wide range of events throughout the year exploring the many aspects of Hume’s work and his legacy. These included large public occasions – such as Hume’s Birthday Party on 26 April; a University of Edinburgh Enlightenment Lecture by Professor Amartya Sen; and a Gifford Lecture by Lord Sutherland of Houndwood – as well as a series of five “Dialogues with Hume” at IASH and lunchtime talks on “Hume Today”. The “Dialogues with Hume” have been published as individual papers (see http://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/publications/dialogues-with-hume/). In July 2011 the 38th International Hume Society Conference was held at the University of Edinburgh and co-hosted by IASH, attracting Hume scholars from all over the world.
A number of eminent Hume scholars were Fellows of IASH in 2011 including Professor Don Garrett (New York University) who was at IASH as Carnegie Centenary Professor, and Dr Peter Millican (Hertford College, Oxford), the IASH Illumni David Hume Fellow. In addition playwrights Jo Clifford and Linda McLean held six month IASH/Traverse Creative Fellowships with commissions to write a play on some aspect of the life and work of David Hume. Jo Clifford’s play, The Tree of Knowledge, was performed at the Traverse Theatre from 8 – 24 December 2011.
Other events linked to the Hume Tercentenary included Beholder, an exhibition at the Talbot Rice Gallery, and other exhibitions at the The Writers’ Museum, Edinburgh and the National Library of Scotland; as well as a conference on Enlightenment Aesthetics and Beyond
The Institute has been seeking funding for an annual David Hume Fellow at IASH and thanks to generous support from The Hume Society, the Scots Philosophical Association and to IASH Fellows and supporters, the first David Hume Fellowship was awarded to Professor Peter Fosl for 2013-14. Information about the Fellowship can be found at
http://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/fellowships/fellowships-at-iash/the-david-hume-...
Any interested in making a donation to the Hume Fellowship Fund should email iash@ed.ac.uk for details.
The full programme of events was as follows:
|
25 January |
“Dialogues with Hume” Speaker: Emeritus Professor Peter Jones (University of Edinburgh): Conversation: And the Reception of David Hume |
|
1 March |
“Dialogues with Hume” Gathering Uncertainties: A Conversation between Linda McLean and Susan Manning |
|
5 April |
“Dialogues with Hume” Speaker: Professor Daniel Schulthess (University of Neuchâtel; Visiting Fellow of IASH): The ‘is/ought’ gap vs. speech act theory |
|
26 April |
Hume’s Birthday Party |
|
3 May |
“Dialogues with Hume” Speaker: Dr James Harris (University of St Andrews): Hume’s intellectual development: an overview |
|
23 May |
An RSE Lecture by Dr Peter Millican on The Significance of David Hume: Scepticism, Science and Superstition |
|
17 June |
“Dialogues with Hume” A dialogue between Professor Don Garrett (New York University and Carnegie Centenary Professor, IASH) and Dr Peter Millican (Hertford College, Oxford and Illumni Hume Fellow, IASH) on: Reason, Induction, and Causation in Hume’s Philosophy |
|
18 July |
University of Edinburgh Enlightenment Lecture by Professor Amartya Sen: David Hume and the Demands of Ethics |
|
18-23 July |
38th International Hume Society Conference: Hume after 300 Years |
|
30 September |
“Hume Today” Speaker: Professor David Fergusson (Divinity, University of Edinburgh): Hume as Religious Sceptic |
|
7 October |
“Hume Today” Speaker: Dr Tillman Vierkant (Philosophy, University of Edinburgh): The illusion of conscious will. On Wegner’s use of Hume’s associationism |
|
21 October |
“Hume Today” Speaker: Emeritus Professor Sheila Dow (Economics, University of Stirling): The Relevance of Hume for Modern Economics |
|
24 October |
“Taste and Tastemakers” – a lunchtime talk at IASH by Pat Fisher (Principal Curator, Talbot Rice Gallery) |
|
25 October |
Gifford Lecture by Lord Sutherland of Houndwood: David Hume and Civil Society |
|
28 October |
“Hume Today” Speaker: Professor Mike Ridge (Philosophy, University of Edinburgh): Hume, The Circumstances of Justice, and Paternalism |
|
4 November |
“Hume Today” Speaker: Dr Nicholas Phillipson (History, University of Edinburgh): Hume: Philosophy, History and the Science of Man |
|
14 December |
Nature of Knowledge Lecture by Professor Paul Guyer (F.R.C. Murray Professor in the Humanities, and Professor of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania): Hume, Kant, and the Passion of Reason |
|
15 -16 December |
Conference on “Enlightenment Aesthetics and Beyond” |
Other related events:
|
1 February |
The Edinburgh Lecture by Dr Nicholas Phillipson: Edinburgh – then and now: a modern Athens? |
|
16 June |
Conference organised by SIRE on Hume’s Influence on Economics: New Perspectives |
Exhibitions:
|
26 April-17 September |
“David Hume 1711-1776: Man of letters, Scientist of Man” at the Writers’ Museum, Lady Stairs Close, Edinburgh |
|
5 May-28 June |
The Virtuous Infidel: David Hume 1711-1776” at the National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh |
|
17 November -18 February |
“Beholder”, an exhibition in the University of Edinburgh’s Talbot Rice Gallery Old College, South Bridge |