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. Eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher David Hume has had an outsized impact on the political thinkers who came after him, from the nineteenth-century British Utilitarians to modern American social contract theorists. In this thorough and thoughtful new work, Aaron Alexander Zubia examines the forces that shaped Hume's thinking within the broad context of intellectual history, with particular focus on the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus and the skeptical tradition. Zubia argues that through Hume's influence, Epicureanism-which elevates utility over moral truth-became the foundation of liberal political philosophy, which continues to dominate and limit political discourse today.
Aaron Alexander Zubia is assistant professor of humanities at the University of Florida. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, National Review, Political Theory, Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy, and Law & Liberty.
Introduction: Hume and the Modern Political Imagination 1. Hume's Critique of Religion 2. The Epicurean Critique of Religion 3. Hobbes, Mandeville, and the New Political Science 4. Hume and the Making of Liberal Mythology 5. Making Men Moral: A Humean Approach 6. Spreading the Faith: Hume and the Miracle of Modernity 7. Hume, Epicureanism, and Contractarianism Conclusion: Return to the Rule of Honestum A Note on Citations Bibliography
"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 "Zubia argues that Hume's Epicurean orientation helped to shape the modern liveral way of life, culminating in Rawlsian political liberalism that seeks to purge discussion of moral ends from public discourse." -Time Literary Supplement ". . . Aaron Alexander Zubia has given us a superb account of the true nature of Hume's political philosophy, and a salutary reminder to conservatives to think twice about what it is they are conserving." -The Claremont Review "The book skillfully integrates Hume's major works along with intriguing assessments and criticisms from Hume's contemporaries, while also being attentive to the secondary literature. It strives to evaluate impartially the validity of both conservative and liberal interpretations, in a manner that is akin to Hume's own approach to writing English history." -Review of Politics
