Introduction

Why Enquiry?

In Hume’s 1777 Advertisement for Enquiry, he stated that “[m]ost of the principles, and reasonings contained in [Enquiry] were published in a work in three volumes, called A Treatise of Human Nature” (Hume, Advertisement (1777)). The collection of works that Hume refers to here, A Treatise of Human Nature, was anonymously published by Hume between the years 1739 and 1740. Clearly, Enquiry was not Hume’s first work, nor was it unique in its central notions. Why, in that case, has Enquiry been chosen to be the focus of this exhibit?

Simply, Enquiry has been chosen for this exhibit because it was more controversial in the public eye at the time. Although Treatise included many of the main ideas present in the Enquiry, it was not until Enquiry that Hume became more explicit in regard to how his philosophy was related to religious controversies of the time. For example, Hume’s argument against miracles, which is present in Enquiry X, was originally omitted from Treatise in fear of offending readers.

Banning Hume

In an era where the Roman Catholic Church commanded great authority over public opinion, Hume was one of many authors whose name found its way to the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, a list of banned books published by the Church. Hume’s ideas were part of the greater rise of biblical skeptics who found themselves challenging the views of biblical philosophers. 

How To Think About This Exhibit

Different media present knowledge in different ways. How does the transmission of knowledge differ between this digital exhibit of Hume’s Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and a banned physical copy, or any physical copy of the novel?