Inquiry into the Relation of Cause and Effect

by Thomas Brown

Overview

Scottish philosopher Thomas Brown (1778–1820) held the chair of moral philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. He was distinguished for his work in the philosophy of mind and causation, and was a founder member of the Edinburgh Review. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, controversy arose over John Leslie being appointed to the chair of mathematics at the university. City ministers opposed him because he defended Hume's view of causation, which was seen as being incompatible with the existence of God. In 1805 Brown wrote a pamphlet, Observations on the Nature and Tendency of the Doctrine of Mr. Hume Concerning the Relation of Cause and Effect, which among other things aimed to show that Hume's theory was compatible with belief in God. This book, first published in 1818, is the third edition of that original pamphlet, which grew to become a thorough examination of the philosophy of causation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108040792
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/28/2012
Series:	Cambridge Library Collection - Philosophy
Pages:	588
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.60(d)

Table of Contents

Preface to the third edition; Introduction; 1. On the real import of the relation of cause and effect; 2. On the sources of illusion with respect to the relation; 3. On the circumstances in which the belief of the relation arises; 4. On Mr Hume's theory of our belief in the relation; Notes.