The external world and our knowledge of it : Hume's critical realism, an exposition and a defence / Fred Wilson.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Complete with original observations and ideas, this study is sure to generate debates about Humean philosophy, critical realism, and the limits of perceptual knowledge.

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CHOICE Review

Wilson (emer., Univ. of Toronto) offers an extensive study of David Hume's epistemology. Specifically, he rejects the view that Hume is a radical skeptic. Instead, he argues that Hume is a critical realist who accepts the mechanical philosophy of Boyle, Locke, and Newton and who believes that one is justified in belief in an external world. Wilson begins by placing Hume in his historical context, discussing the transition from Aristotelian conceptions of science and Hume's defense of empirical science. He continues with a discussion of Hume's conception of knowledge and its limits, and concludes with a lengthy discussion of Hume as a critical realist. Wilson's book is clear, well organized, and historically informed throughout. It will be of interest to professional philosophers interested in Hume. Students of philosophy and scholars with an interest in the history of science also will profit from reading it. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. J. H. Spence Adrian College