Hume

Definition

David Hume was an 18th-century Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist known for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. In the context of political science, Hume’s ideas challenge the notion of absolute sovereignty and emphasize the importance of consent and convention in politics.

Related terms

Empiricism: The theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience and observation.

Skepticism: A skeptical approach to understanding involves questioning accepted beliefs or claims lacking empirical evidence.

Social contract: A theory or model that originated during the Age of Enlightenment suggesting that people live together in society under an agreement that establishes moral and political rules of behavior