[.ca] A Treatise of Human Nature (ISBN 0486432505)

Be Aware:
Be aware that the reviews for a book are displayed not only for one edition, but for all editions under the same title. The Oxford Philosophical Texts edition of Hume's "Treatise" should be the standard student edition. The Prometheus Books edition is cheap, but it does not include a modern introduction or any study notes. I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts version if you want or need more than just the raw text.

best for students:
A new edition of the classical, look-simple but philosophically complex masterpiece of the Scot. Norton do a nice work in making clear contexts to many passages and explicating arguments. While the Penelhume and Noonan recent introductions are good (the former focusing mainly on the Enquiry), the serious student should read directly this text. The present edition along with the commentary by Johnson on the first book are strongly recommended.

The best edition for this great work of philosophy:
I have had this book for about a year now and I would say it is still the most helpful I have found for reading Humes' Treatise. Everything is explained well and completely, but it is the depth that impresses me, not only are the concepts explained with clarity, but in places where a point relates to an earlier concept it is noted down to the paragraph of where it appeared. Also when another philosophers view is similar or conflicts with Humes own view it is noted. The annotations in the back of the book alone by their helpfulness would give this book 5 stars, but the introduction is about as close as I have seen to a complete summary of Humes book without having to buy another book entirely. Overall the author has a good understanding of the text and can relate it to the student.

Should be the standard student text.:
The Oxford Philosophical Texts series bills itself as "complete editions for students," and the texts do live up to their promise. Hume's "A Treatise of Human Nature" is an excellent text and resource for the student. David Fate Norton's Introduction itself is worth the price of the book. In addition to the Introduction, this edition includes Hume's "An Abstract of . . . A Treatise of Human Nature," Editor's Annotations to both the "Treatise" and the "Abstract," a glossary, and references cited by Hume and by the Editor. This edition should be the standard student edition of the "Treatise."

Ideas and Impressions:
Marvelous work of literature accomplished by an extraordinary philosopher, which is for some reason not often taught in the universities. Hume brilliantly compares and contrasts ideas and impressions in a way that one can understand easily. Hume is not known as an easy reader, but in this particular work he has done some justice to the masses with limited philosophical understandings.