David Hume, 1711-1776.

One of the greatest philosophers in Western history, as well as an accomplished historian and economist, the perennial skeptic and delightful fellow, David Hume was, together with his good friend Adam Smith, one of the most prominent figures in the "Scottish Enlightenment".

In economics, best exemplified in his various Essays (1758) on the matter, Hume was a virulent anti-Mercantilist, ardent free-trader and one of the better articulators of the Quantity Theory and the neutrality of money ("It is none of the wheels of trade: it is the oil which renders the motion of the wheels more smooth and easy", On Money, 1752). Hume was the constructor of the "specie-flow" mechanism of international trade and originator of the "reflux principle". His theories of "evolution" of ethics, institutions and social conventions and were highly influential upon Hayek and later evolutionary theories.

The other particulars of Hume are outlined in our Introduction to David Hume.

• Information on David Hume (1) , (2) .

For a more complete list, see our Bibliography of Hume's works

Economic Writings (all from Hume's Essays: Moral, political and literary, 1758).

• Of Commerce
• Of the Refinement in the Arts
• On Money
• On the Balance of Trade
• On Interest
• On the Jealousy of Trade
• On Public Credit
• On Taxes
• Of the Origin of Government
• On the First Principles of Government

Other Writings - click here for a more complete bibliography

• A Treatise on Human Nature, 1739-40.
• An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, 1748.
• History of England , 1754-1762.
• Natural History of Religion , 1757.
• Essays: Moral, Political and Literary, 1758.
• Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, 1779.

• Introduction to David Hume - here
• David Hume's autobiography, My Own Life, 1776.
• Letter from Adam Smith to Strahan on David Hume.
• Letter to Adam Smith from Horn on David Hume.
• Bibliography of Hume's Works - here.
• Bibliography of Hume's works at McMaster.
• The David Hume Archive
• Ty's David Hume Page
• The Hume Society
• A page on Hume
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy page on Hume
• Hume timeline