The article looks closely at the interpretation of Hume’s ideas and character in the Parisian letters of Alessandro Verri to his brother Pietro. Alessandro interprets Hume’s philosophy as a mitigated (“meek”) acceptable version of the militant scepticism he encounters among the philosophes. As he is in dispute with Beccaria (and partly with Pietro), he sees Hume’s dispute with Rousseau as a perfect parallel, where Alessandro plays the British modest philosopher against the French boastful enthusiasts. He also offers his version about the French Holbachian attitude towards Hume’s style of thought in religious matters. By a series of Humean vignettes the essay reconsiders Hume’s approach to religion, his topic of the “vicious religionist” and his supposed and famous denial of ever having met an atheist. It also tells us something about the ways in which Hume’s philosophy is apt to be appropriated by “cutting off its noble parts”: by philosophers and historians of philosophy today as well as by Alessandro Verri yesterday.

Hume's meek philosophy among the Milanese, 2005.

Hume's meek philosophy among the Milanese

Mazza, Emilio.
2005-01-01

Abstract

The article looks closely at the interpretation of Hume’s ideas and character in the Parisian letters of Alessandro Verri to his brother Pietro. Alessandro interprets Hume’s philosophy as a mitigated (“meek”) acceptable version of the militant scepticism he encounters among the philosophes. As he is in dispute with Beccaria (and partly with Pietro), he sees Hume’s dispute with Rousseau as a perfect parallel, where Alessandro plays the British modest philosopher against the French boastful enthusiasts. He also offers his version about the French Holbachian attitude towards Hume’s style of thought in religious matters. By a series of Humean vignettes the essay reconsiders Hume’s approach to religion, his topic of the “vicious religionist” and his supposed and famous denial of ever having met an atheist. It also tells us something about the ways in which Hume’s philosophy is apt to be appropriated by “cutting off its noble parts”: by philosophers and historians of philosophy today as well as by Alessandro Verri yesterday.
Inglese
2005
Frasca-Spada, Marina; Kail, P.J.E
Impressions of Hume
213
243
31
0-19-925652-7
United Kingdom
Oxford
Clarendon press
internazionale
A stampa
Settore M-FIL/06 - Storia della Filosofia
Il volume è recensito in “Hume Studies”, N 2005. 31(2), 379-382; “Journal of the History of Philosophy”, Ja 2007. 45(1), 164-165; “Tijdschrift voor Filosofie”, 2008. 70(2), 398-399; “British Journal for the History of Philosophy”, Ap 2009. 17(2), 435-440
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10808/1351
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