The Political Thought of David Hume: The Origins of Liberalism and the Modern Political Imagination
Aaron Alexander Zubia argues that the Epicurean roots of David Hume’s philosophy gave rise to liberalism’s unrelenting grip on the modern political imagination.
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Praise:
“This book makes a timely and welcome contribution to the literature on Hume’s political philosophy by locating it in the traditions of Epicureanism and social contract thought as well as prospectively within the tradition of liberal political philosophy that flowed from the early modern period.” —Peter S. Fosl, author of Hume’s Scepticism: Pyrrhonian and Academic
"Aaron Zubia’s important book makes a robust case, historical, textual, and philosophical, for interpreting Hume as a modern Epicurean. In wrestling with the implications of the Humean project, he calls us to rejuvenate our political understanding with lost notions of the noble, the good, and the beautiful. His call is worth heeding." —Erik W. Matson, New Paternalism Meets Older Wisdom
"Zubia’s book is bold and consequential. This is a major intervention in political theory." —Pierre Force, author of Self-Interest before Adam Smith
"Aaron Zubia has written the next great book on David Hume. The conventionally-titled book—The Political Thought of David Hume: The Origins of Liberalism and the Modern Political Imagination—is unconventional in its framing, brilliant in its methods, morally serious in its ambitions, and deeply philosophic in its orientation."—Law & Liberty
Newest Articles and Podcasts
"Towards a Politics of Truth," Law & Liberty
The politics of truth affirms the order of human nature and our civilizational heritage.
"Saving Ourselves from Party Rage," Law & Liberty
The limits of David Hume’s politics of utility are evident in America’s current political polarization and heighten political discourse.
"Lessons from the Most Anxious Philosopher," Public Discourse
The ill effects of isolation on our mental health are not limited to our present cultural moment.
"David Hume and the Ideas that Shaped America," America's Town Hall / Live at the National Constitution Center
Called “a degenerate son of science” by Thomas Jefferson and a “bungling lawgiver” by James Madison, Scottish philosopher David Hume was cited so often at the Constitutional Convention that delegates seemed to have committed his essays to memory. In this episode, we are sharing audio from a recent America’s Town Hall program featuring Angela Coventry, author of Hume: A Guide for the Perplexed; Dennis Rasmussen, author of The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought; and Aaron Alexander Zubia, author of The Political Thought of David Hume, who discuss Hume’s philosophical legacy and its profound impact on the shaping of America. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. This program was streamed live on January 29, 2024.
Journal Articles
2022: "Hume's Transformation of Academic Skepticism," Hume Studies, 47:2 [Winner of the first annual Hume Studies Essay Prize]
2020: "Hume, Epicureanism, and Contractarianism," Hume Studies, 46:1
2020: "The Centrality of Convention in Hume's Moral and Political Philosophy," Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy, 47:1 (2020)
Book Reviews
2021: "Review: Taking Comedy Seriously: Stand-Up's Dissident Potential in Mass Culture," Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy, 47:2 (2021)
Popular Writing
2023: "A Gospel of Egalitarianism," Law & Liberty
2022: "Following the Founders," National Review
2022: "'A Commonwealth of Hope' Review: The Uplifting St. Augustine," The Wall Street Journal
2022: "Liberalism's Recovery of Religion," Law & Liberty
2022: "The Limits of Moderation," First Things
2021: "'The Saint and the Atheist' Review: The Wrong Side of Truth," The Wall Street Journal
2021: "The Founders' Guide to 'Knock Down, Drag Out' Fighting," The Wall Street Journal
2020: "Woke Progressivism Comes for David Hume," National Review Online
2020: "Universities Abandon Reason for a False Idea of 'Empowerment'," The Wall Street Journal
2020: "Black Lives Matter is not the same as 'black lives matter'," Washington Examiner
2020: "Comedy for Believers: Hannah Gadsby's Woke Comedy Gospel," National Review Online
2018: “Jefferson’s ‘Master Epicurus’ and the Nature of the American Regime," Public Discourse
Podcasts
2021: "Can You Separate Morality and Politics? Hume's Politics of Humanity," The Morningside Institute