A Cultivated Reason

A Cultivated Reason: An Essay On Hume And Humeanism, volume 1, is a scholarly examination of the tension between rationalism and the intellectualist view of persons. Christopher Williams challenges the traditional philosophical reliance on rationalism by utilizing resources from within the philosophical tradition. This work of philosophy focuses on David Hume and his critique of rationalist frameworks, specifically analyzing the Treatise and the essay The Sceptic to highlight the importance of human embodiment.

The text explores epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics to demonstrate how a Humean position sustains reflection while avoiding the pitfalls of irrationalism. By comparing persons to artworks, the author argues that the aesthetic dimension performs normative work traditionally attributed to reason. A Cultivated Reason: An Essay On Hume And Humeanism, volume 1, provides a comprehensive analysis of rationalism and the history of philosophy for academic readers and scholars.