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Axios Press's Essence of ...Series takes the greatest works of practical philosophy and pares them down to their essence. Selected passages flow together to create a seamless work that will capture your interest from page one. The three newest volumes in the series are dedicated to David Hume (1711-1776) who is ranked as one of the greatest Western philosophers and economists. Hume is best known for his opposition to Christianity. He said about Christianity: Upon the whole, we may conclude, that the Christian religion not only was at first attended with miracles, but even at this day cannot be believed by any reasonable person without one. In a letter, he referred to Stupidity, Christianity, and Ignorance. Another word he commonly linked to Christianity, and to all revealed religions, was superstition, something that reflected sick men's dreams. Despite these strong words, observers of Hume in his own day were struck by how amiable, good tempered, serene, friendly, and cheerful he was. He led a very quiet and virtuous life among loving friends, as far as possible removed from the clamor he disliked. At one point, he helped find a publisher for a pamphlet bitterly attacking himself. When James Boswell broke in on him as he lay dying and to make one last attempt to bring him back from apostasy, he was as calm and patient as ever, although unyielding. In his own moral philosophy, Hume was famous for his skepticism, but was not skeptical about everything. He valued logic, and put special emphasis on experience as our best teacher. Even experience, however, could only give us probabilities, not definitely conclusive answers. When overly taxed with life's perplexities, he said that: I dine, I play a game of back-gammon, I converse, and am merry with my friends. As an economist, Hume demonstrated why free trade was best for all nations, why policy should help the poor and middle class, not just the rich, and why slavery was both morally and economically wrong, among other insights.

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David Hume (1711-1776) is ranked as one of the greatest Western philosophers and economists. As a philosopher, Hume is best known for his skepticism, his emphasis on experience, and his opposition to Christianity.

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