David Hume (1711-1776), Scottish philosopher and historian known for his empiricism and skepticism. His name often refers to his philosophical concepts about causation, induction, and the limits of human knowledge.
Scottish surname, possibly derived from Old English 'hunig' (honey) or related to 'home'. David Hume's philosophical work established his name as synonymous with empirical skepticism and the problem of induction.
Hume's famous 'is-ought problem' argues that you cannot derive prescriptive statements (what ought to be) from descriptive statements (what is), a distinction that continues to challenge ethicists and philosophers today. Despite being one of history's most influential philosophers, Hume considered his multi-volume 'History of England' his greatest work, not his philosophical treatises.
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