"Hume, David - Letter to a friend in Edinburgh [PG]" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hume David)

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Copyright 1995, James Fieser ([email protected]). See end note for
details on copyright and editing conventions. This is a working draft;
please report errors.1

Editor's note: In 1744-1745 Hume was a candidate for the Chair of
Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. The position was to
be vacated by John Pringle, and the leading candidates were Hume and
William Cleghorn. The Edinburgh Town Council was responsible for
electing a replacement; consequently, politics was a key factor in the
decision. Loyalties were drawn chiefly along the two key political
party lines: the Argathelians (Hume's party), and the Squadrones
(Cleghorn's party). Pringle, a Squadrone, procrastinated in stepping
down, thus allowing the Squadrones to unify their opposition to Hume
by condemning his anti-religious writings. Chief among the religious
critics was clergyman William Wishart (d. 1752), the Principal of the
University of Edinburgh. Although Wishart was an Argathelian, his
dislike of Hume's philosophy rose above political allegiance; it is
also relevant that Wishart too sought the position for which Hume was
applying. Lists of allegedly dangerous propositions from Hume's
Treatise circulated, presumably penned by Wishart. In the face of such
strong opposition, Hume's Argathelian support weakened. The religious
dimension of the competition also compelled the Edinburgh Town Council
to consult the Edinburgh ministers. Hoping to win over the clergy,
Hume composed a point by point reply to the circulating lists of
dangerous propositions. This was sent to Henry Home, and published as
A Letter from a Gentleman to his Friend in Edinburgh. The clergy were
not dissuaded, and 12 of the 15 ministers voted against Hume. Hume
quickly withdrew his candidacy. A month later Hume reflected in a
letter that the matter of his vocational opportunities "was brought to
an issue, and by the cabals of the Principal [i.e. Wishart], the
bigotry of the clergy, and the credulity of the mob, we lost it." In
1751-1752 Hume sought a philosophy chair at the University of Glasgow,
and was again unsuccessful. Hume's lesson, perhaps, was to seek civil
employment through his Argathelian supporters, rather than academic
employment. The following is from the 1745 edition of A Letter from a
Gentleman.

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A LETTER FROM A GENTLEMAN TO

HIS FRIEND IN Edinburgh:

CONTAINING