Paradox

HUME’S ALL-CONSUMING IDEAS 255believe were to be replaced by a description of how we in factform beliefs.David Hume was provocatively slow to distinguishbetween sages and madmen. This led the ministers and towncouncil to vote against Hume’s appointment as a professor ofmoral philosophy at the University of Edinburgh in 1745. Hehad to instead become the tutor of a nobleman—who turnedout to be insane. Henry Thomas relishes the poetic justice:The philosopher and the lunatic lived together in asecluded house. The laird’s moods were unpredictable.One day he pressed Hume to his heart. The next day hedrove him out of the room. He purred like a kitten andbarked like a dog. He leaped over the sofas and scrambleddown the banisters. He crept stealthily over the carpetsand sprang upon his tutor with a ghostly laugh. Finallythey locked him up. He begged to see his tutor anddiscussed with [him] the perplexing questions of humanreason.(1965, 124)What a twisted ending! Let’s try to understand what wentwrong by retracing the steps of British empiricism.LOCKEJohn Locke (1632-1704) inaugurated the British tradition ofempiricism with An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.He had earlier discussed human understanding with fiveor six friends. But they bogged down in verbal disputes,untestable assertions, and circular reasoning. Locke con-