“a Small Tincture of Pyrrhonism”: Skepticism and Naturalism in Hume’s Science of Man

If any of the learned be inclined, from their natural temper, to haughtiness or obstinacy, a small tincture of Pyrrhonism might abate their pride, by showing them, that the few advantages, which they may have attained over their fellows, are but inconsiderable, if compared with the universal perplexity and confusion, which is inherent in human nature. (David Hume, An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding 12.24) The relation between “Hume’s naturalism” and “Hume’s skepticism” constitutes one of the most fundamental and controversial issues in the interpretation of his entire philosophy. Some hold that Hume is ultimately a naturalist at the expense of his skepticism, while others hold that he is ultimately a skeptic at the expense of his naturalism. Many hold that he is inconsistently both a naturalist and a skeptic, while still others maintain that skepticism and naturalism are somehow compatible elements in a coherent Humean philosophy.