David Hume’s racist footnote

David Hume’s racist footnote

Douglas Murray is a British author and political commentator, who — along with his guests — looks at great figures of the past through their historical context.

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#enlightenment #philosophy #dougasmurray

[johnl]

and, so what? This is how people thought

[justin_]

I'd say the bigger point is that it has nothing to do with what Hume actually did or his philosophical insights. If Newton was racist (wouldn't be a surprise if he was at the time) his calculus and theory of gravity would still be (roughly) correct.

[archiethebold]

Just one racist note? Arnold Toynbee says the exact same thing which is the reason he says he did not include negroes in his multi-volume histories. Arthus Schopenhaur compares blacks to wild monkeys. F. Nietczhe also says something similar. and probably thousand of other authors. (can you blame them?)

[annleland]

Hume is a great philosopher and in his field he found at his time probably no black philosophers. His footnote makes sense to me.

[jamesflames]

Hume thought blacks were inferior because they never achieved anything. OK. I can see why he might have thought that at the time. So what? What bearing does it have on anything else?

[smelltheglove]

Go back to the 1700s and take a look at the world, and you’d be hard-pressed to disagree with the footnote. It was 100% accurate at the time. Huge parts of the world had yet to figure out the wheel.

[michaelobrien]

He didn't rely on any intellectual reason in coming to his racist conclusion. It was his feelings, and the feelings generally and socially accepted at the time.

[johnl]

these 2 seem so uncomfortable. How is Douglas so confused?

[TheKnowledgeMan]

While Hume was known for his empiricism and skepticism. He was also known to encourage people to hold on to most of their common sense beliefs because its what helps people make their way in the world, and that the skepticism that he was advocating for would immediately vanish once the skeptic steps outside of an environment where they are asked to explain their skepticism. So at the time, Hume was just following what everyone else was thinking and convinced about

[frankandstern]

Hume's quote should be observed the way he came to it. Clinically. Had Hume rubbed elbows with modern society of today, perhaps he would have experienced the favorable privilege of a diversity on contribution. Put it this way. Hume came to a conclusion based upon his experience and observations during his time. Was he lying? Think about it. Certainly he recognized in his day the difference between advanced civilization and that which yet had to develope its own written language. Its about timing in the socially evolutionary development of cultures. Just the way it worked out. Ask yourself this. Is the protest really about the truth or something else we wish not to face. I don't think the fact Hume observed in his day should be celebrated but I don't think it should be hidden either. The whole world pulled off its skirt, pulled on pants and thinks its a fkn social worker here to protect everyone's feelings. Anyone that has an inkling of intelligence knows well enough how not to offend, but when it comes to truth in academic studies I'm sorry Sally, avoiding naked facts just isn't going to be an option for everybody. You do more harm focusing on the quote. USE YOUR FKN BRAIN . YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THAT A MILE AWAY BUT NO. Remember the toilet seat has a hinge. Use it. Up or down. When you lose your s##t on your husband because he left it up avoiding peeing on the seat, thats your problem. Put the seat anyway you want it using a hinge and SPARE US ALL THE GRIEF. LOL. Remember who we are being asked to make donations to because of mental health issues. STOP USING THE WORLD AND POLITICAL ACTIVITY TO COMPENSATE FOR YOUR SHORT COMINGS. Do what we do. Whats that that we do you ask? Thanks for asking. Well, its like this. You don't have to like it OR them but you SHOULD face FACTS anyway. P.S. You are quite welcome fellas. Someone has to fkn say it. G-d knows we have to listen to it enough so whats wrong with spinning it around once and awhile? Someone told me that if I ask that question there is an answer on reserve but it is dangerous to utilize. The answer is ACCOUNTABILITY not mood or comfort levels. The someone who told me was me. Have a REAL day. Bye. They collectively might not want to touch this with a ten foot pole because of our politically idiotic times, BUT YOU CAN BE DAMNED SURE THEY ARE LISTENING. People have the right to LIE to themselves and those around them, but they don't have the right to bitch, whine and insist everyone else do the same. WTF have we become?

[vinm]

2:17 "Travel accounts"
In Europe far more books were sold about the exotic "Ottomans" than about
the New World
Europeans were fascinated by eastern culture
Not reciprocated : the "Indifference of the proud old Turk" dates back to C14th
Ibn Khaldun, who had zero interest in barbarian Europe

[angela_somanythings]

David Hume could out consume
Schopenhauer and Hegel..

[musthaveacamel]

Read a book about Europeans first visits to Africa by Hinton Rowan Helper

[thomasriedel]

Obviously Hume had not met James Brown.

[jesselopes]

It seems the footnote is precisely based on his empiricism, contrary to the supposition of the discussion. For power or efficacy, being not a quality in the object, but a determination of the mind, to transition from one perception to another, based on all past instances, Hume is absolutely forced to assume what he does, there being not that easy transition in the one case, as in the other.

[Primitarian]

With the exception of this quotation, I think the view today is that David Hume was clearly enlightened for his time and even for our own time; and yet on this point he does seem curiously lacking in enlightenment compared to, of all institutions, the Church, which preached, as far as I know, that all human beings share the same ancestor and were created in the image of God (albeit, the Church also said, many were "lost" to paganism or bore Noah's curse).

[purple-lupj]

Yeah, how this old philosophers be so arrogant. They didn't even visit any black country. I'm sure they would find wakanda there and immediately change their minds

[voidoflife]

And of course Hume was obviously correct.

[stirlingmoss]

No-one is talking about the counter evidence to Hume's footnote

[cbbcbb]

Does anyone else teach the same things as Hume's good parts. That way we don't have to read the bad parts just to get to the good parts.