Keywords
"true philosophy"
crisis
passions
voyage
How to Cite
Abstract
The question concerning the nature of “true philosophy” is a constant in Hume’s philosophical enquiry. The present paper revisits the Conclusion of Book I of the Treatise of Human Nature, a crucial piece of writing to understand his answer to that question. In this dramatic section, the author narrates the crisis he suffered after confronting his science of human nature with sceptical arguments. I interpret Hume’s narrative as a phenomenological description of the flux of passions, dispositions, and transformers which, after reflection, determine the transit from false to true philosophy, that will be justified by sceptical motives. Hume’s voyage shouldn’t be read only as an autobiographical experience since it represents the desired turn that should be followed by anyone who feels inclined towards philosophy, in order to discover both the utility and the pleasure derived from its practice.
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