Hume's Science of Human Nature: Perspectives of Interpretation ****************************************************************************************** * International Conference "Hume's Science of Human Nature: Perspectives of Interpretation ****************************************************************************************** Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Department of Philoso Studies, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Department for the Study of Modern Rationali Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences are presenting a conference on Hume's Science Perspectives of Interpretation 31.8. – 3.9. 2016 Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences                                                          Jilská 1, Praha 1                                                                                          Seminar room 124a. The science of human nature is the centre-piece of Hume's philosophy and it is, he tells u solid foundation for the other sciences". This conference seeks to understand Hume's scien the perspective not only of his epistemology and philosophy of mind, but also of his ethic theory, history and his reflections on natural religion. Keynote speakers: Christopher J. Berry (University of Glasgow), Tamás Demeter (Hungarian A Sciences), Lorenzo Greco (University of Oxford), Cinzia Recca (University of Catania), Eri ( University of Amsterdam) Speakers: James Hill (Charles University), Hynek Janoušek (Charles University), Tomáš Kunc University), Josef Moural (Prague), Zuzana Parusniková (Czech Academy of Sciences), Adéla University Olomouc), Filip Tvrdý (Palacký University Olomouc) Keynote speakers and speakers are already registered. Registration will be closed on Sunda 2016 and thanks to institutional supports no conference fee is charged. We would very much invite and register up to 25 scholars and/or students. It is essential to send a letter of conference organiser, Dr Tomas Kunca, tomas.kunca@fhs.cuni.cz [ URL "mailto:tomas.kunca@fh even if you are interested in coming to see just one particular lecture. Registration for will be held mainly on Wednesday 31st August as indicated in programme but you are encoura preferences in letter of interest. Conference site address in the very gothic part of Prague is Jilská 1, Praha 1, 110 00, Cz seat of Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences), Seminar room 124a (1st  download conference poster [ URL "http://fhs.cuni.cz/FHS-1465-version1-poster_hume_in_prag Conference lunches might be served here http://www.cafelouvre.cz/en/ [ URL "http://www.caf en/"] , conference opening dinner on 31st August here http://www.tristoleti.cz/index.php?l "http://www.tristoleti.cz/index.php?lang=en"] , and for a night in opera on Thursday 1st S (Mozart, Magic Flute) see herehttp://www.narodni-divadlo.cz/en/show/7867?t=2016-09-01-19-0 www.narodni-divadlo.cz/en/show/7867?t=2016-09-01-19-00"] . Tickets for conference speakers booked. Web page will be regularly updated and feel free to send your enquiries totomas.kunca@fhs. "mailto:tomas.kunca@fhs.cuni.cz"] . We are very much looking forward to see you in Prague! Poster [ URL "FHSENG-699-version1-poster_hume_in_prague_2016.jpg"] Preliminary programme including social events Abstracts ****************************************************************************************** * Programme ****************************************************************************************** *========================================================================================= * Day 1 (Wednesday 31 August) *========================================================================================= 16:00 – 17:00 Registration and Coffee 17:00 – 17:10 Welcomes and conference agenda 17:10 – 18:30 Conference opening lecture and discussion 17:10 – 18:10 Eric Schliesser (Amsterdam): Hume's anti-Mathematicism in Political Practice Witt 18:10 – 18:30 Discussion Opening lecture chair: Cinzia Recca (Catania) 19:00 – 21:00 Dinner (optional) *========================================================================================= * Day 2 (Thursday 1 September) *========================================================================================= 9:00 – 12:00 Morning session 9:00 – 10:00 Tamás Demeter (Budapest): Hume's Chemistry of Human Nature 10:00 – 10:20 Discussion Chair: Filip Tvrdý (Olomouc) 10.20 – 10.40 Coffee break 10:40 – 11:10 James Hill (Prague): Hume on Animal Instinct and Human Reason: How his Thoug 10 – 11:20 Discussion Chair: Eric Schliesser (Amsterdam) 11:20 – 11:50 Josef Moural (Prague): Newtonian Mechanics of the Mind and its Shortcomings 11:50 – 12:00 Discussion Chair: Hynek Janoušek(Prague) 12:00 – 14:00 Lunch 14:00 – 17:00 Afternoon session 14:00 – 14:30 Hynek Janoušek (Prague): Once again on the Relation of the Second and the Fi Treatise 14:30 – 14:40 Discussion Chair: Tamás Demeter (Budapest) 14:40 – 15:10 Filip Tvrdý (Olomouc): The Science of Man's Religion 15:10 – 15:20 Discussion Chair: Tomáš Marvan (Prague) 15:20 – 15:40 Coffee Break 15:40 – 16:10 Zuzana Parusniková (Prague): David Hume: Scepticism and Life 16:10 – 16:20 Discussion Chair: Lorenzo Greco (Oxford) 16:20 – 16:50 Tomáš Kunca (Prague): Hume, Horse Riding, and Prosperity of Civil Society 16:50 – 17:00 Discussion Chair: James Hill (Prague) 17:15 – 18:30 Dinner (optional) 19:00 – 22:30 Mozart, Magic Flute, the Estates Theatre Prague (optional) *========================================================================================= * Day 3 (Friday 2 September) *========================================================================================= 9:00 – 12:40 Morning session 9:00 – 10:00 Lorenzo Greco (Oxford): Preserving Practicality: A Defense of Hume´s Sympathy 10:00 – 10:20 Discussion Chair: Josef Moural (Prague) 10:20 – 10:40 Coffee Break 10:40 – 11:40 Cinzia Recca (Catania): David Hume, Philosopher and Historian: Religion and in the VI Volume of his History of England 11:40 – 12:00 Discussion Chair: Christopher J. Berry (Glasgow) 12:00 – 12:30 Adéla Radková (Olomouc): David Hume on the Origin of Human Society 12:30 – 12:40 Discussion Chair: Zuzana Parusniková (Prague) 12.40 – 14.30 Lunch 14:30 – 16:00 Conference closing lecture and discussion 14:30 – 15:30 Christopher J. Berry (Glasgow): Hume on the Science of Man and Politics 15:30 – 16:00 Discussion Closing lecture chair: Eric Schliesser (Amsterdam) 16:00 – 19:00 Prague walk (optional) 19:00 – 21:00 Dinner (optional) *========================================================================================= * Day 4 (Saturday 3 September) *========================================================================================= 10:00 – 12:00 Research and/or academic links meetings (optional) 12:00 – 14:00 Lunch (optional) 14:00 – 19:00 Prague History Guided Tour (Dept. of History) (optional) 19:00 – 21:00 Dinner (optional) ****************************************************************************************** * Abstracts ****************************************************************************************** *========================================================================================= * Preserving Practicality: a Defense of Hume's Sympathy-based Ethics *========================================================================================= Lorenzo Greco (Oxford) Hume’s ethics is generally considered to be one of the best examples of an ethics that hin of sympathy. However, one can legitimately ask if it is really possible to have anything l based ethics at all. As many have observed, sympathy appears to be inevitably partial; how an ethics that is really objective? Notwithstanding the doubts that have been raised in th believe that Hume’s principle of sympathy provides the ground for an ethics in which the d objectivity finds both explanation and justification. Sympathy can indeed be partial, but the means to overcome its partiality, securing what for Hume represents the central aspect practical force. On the one hand, I shall hold that Hume’s sympathy-based ethics takes int dimension of motivation by establishing a link between the first-personal point of view of the third-personal point of view of morality. On the other hand, I shall contend that Hume a kind of objectivity understood as a convergence in judgement, in which the fundamental p ethics is preserved. So my aim is twofold: I want both to prove that Hume’s sympathy-based represent a powerful theoretical platform to build a convincing moral perspective, and to being so, Hume’s ethics can be presented as an effective internalist approach in today’s m lorenzo.greco@philosophy.ox.ac.uk [ URL "mailto:lorenzo.greco@philosophy.ox.ac.uk"] *========================================================================================= * Hume on Animal Instinct and Human Reason: How his Thought Developed *========================================================================================= James Hill (Prague) Hume's views on the relation between reason and animal instinct were particularly controve they were written. Later, however, they were noted by Charles Darwin and became mainstream evolutionary theory. The aim of this paper is to examine how Hume’s own thinking on this q between the Treatise and the Enquiry. We will see that Hume’s bald claim in theTreatise th an instinct brings with it paradox, and is potentially self-defeating. In the Enquiry, how carefully reworked the section to relieve its paradoxical nature and to present a more sel persuasive view of the relation of man’s cognitive faculties to those of animals. *========================================================================================= * Newtonian Mechanics of the Mind and its Shortcomings *========================================================================================= Josef Moural (Prague) The early Hume appears to employ a minimalist theory of mind, according to which the full a perception consists in its content and its intensity. Hume's early project of the natura mind involved an attempt to explain all mental events in terms of interaction of such unit largely analogically to the interaction of physical particles in the Newtonian physics: Hu attraction between perceptions, and of distribution of the initial force among interacting early theory is shown as mistaken by Henry Home and by mature Hume. In my paper, I shall d detail both the early theory and its shortcomings leading to its abandonment or modificati Hume. *========================================================================================= * David Hume: Scepticism and Life *========================================================================================= Zuzana Parusniková (Prague) Hume was strongly influenced by Pyrrhonian scepticism, much discussed by philosophers at t Pyrrhonian legacy is especially noticeable in his acceptance of the weakness of reason in in his emphasis on the practical role of philosophy that should guide us to a happy life. of profound reflection scrutinizing the rational foundations of knowledge Hume was totally positive role of nature in forming knowledge was for him a matter of instinct, not of reas developed the radical sceptical line leading from Montaigne to Bayle, epistemological scep wholly unmitigated. He came to the truly Pyrrhonian conclusion that the epistemological pr solved on philosophical level and that this leaves us forever perplexed. However, excessiv though irrefutable by argument – is unliveable and as such brings no benefit to life or so proposed alternative – the mitigated scepticism – has no relevance to epistemology but sig move to common life and moral science. It captures the approach of true philosophy combini tolerance and a degree of doubt, well fitted for both the inquiry to moral and social issu involvement in public matters (as promoted by Cicero).  True philosophy practising mitigat helps us to achieve a state of happiness not only by freeing us from the obscurity of meta speculation but also from the emotional suffering involved in reflection. Unlike the ideal accompanied by a detachment from life, Hume placed men in the bustle of life and encourage its pleasures. However, some questions remain. Hume placed true philosophy nearer to the v the goal of philosophy to making us feel agreeable. But did this priority not somewhat dev reflection as a unique act of critical reason whose role is always that of a merciless ass to a continuous and disturbing state of perplexity? *========================================================================================= * David Hume, philosopher and historian: religion and political theory  in the VI volume o England *========================================================================================= Cinzia Recca (Catania) The paper discusses the Humean conception of history as cultural phenomenon, which finds i expression in the work The History of England. It will be in two parts: The first part wil synthetic, relevant and up-to-date overview of the academic works on the relation between philosopher and history.                                                                                              The second part will examine the sixth volume of the History of England, with  particular religious aspect and the institutional role of the Church during the Cromwellian period. Through the  Humean judgments on Oliver Cromwell, which analyze the temperament and the ch the man, the domestic and foreign policy of the period, the epochal moments such as the Ba and the Great Victory, my paper intents to show how the opinion of Hume on that time it is all focused on the theme of "religious belief", true  the litmus paper of a society in dee transformation. So it finally reveals that, behind the biographical pretext and a related social dynamics that allow the birth of a new kind of political charisma, Hume rather seek the exact contours of change and of the phenomena of cultural and religious  innovation wh   the whole British society, providing key elements for a more accurate understanding of t political and institutional scene. *========================================================================================= * David Hume on the Origin of Human Society *========================================================================================= Adéla Radková (Olomouc) Hume’s political theory may be viewed as either continuation or empirical confirmation of His work opposes the common view of modern philosophers who tend to separate moral and pol philosophy; Hume makes them part of single coherent account. He argued that people are sel with limited generosity. However, we know from experience that people create groups that g interactions among a few members. The main question for his political theory therefore is states. Hobbes and Locke tried to answer this question by using the theory of social contr contractarianism since there is no historical evidence for the state of nature or the orig His explanation of the origin of government is therefore only probabilistic and based on t observations of human behavior. According to Hume, the first units were families and their gave rise to larger groups and states. Hume’s main contribution to political philosophy is description of the establishment of state, it is rather his account of political philosoph science. *========================================================================================= * The Science of Man's Religion *========================================================================================= Filip Tvrdý (Olomouc) There is no other topic – except the history of England – that David Hume payed more atten religion. As it is usual in Hume’s studies, his theory of religion was interpreted in many was considered a theist, fideist, deist, agnostic, atheist or proponent of moral atheism. these interpretations is that they cannot be completely justified, because Hume’s style of very transparent. Every reader must deal with many terminological difficulties, interpreta factual inconsistencies and argumentative fallacies. The question of whether Hume was a re irreligious person in his private life is not much of an interest. I believe that more imp identify in what ways his theory precedes findings of contemporary religious studies and a paper I want to point out similarities between Hume’s theory of the origin of religion, pr the essays “Of Superstition and Enthusiasm” (1742) and “The Natural History of Religion” ( works by William James, Sigmund Freud and B. F. Skinner. The seminal analogies can also be evolutionary account that uses adaptive mental traits and maladaptive cognitive biases as for psychological mechanisms underlying religious thought.