Tom Beauchamp presents the definitive scholarly edition of two famous works by David Hume, both originally published in 1757. In A Dissertation on the Passions Hume sets out his original view of the nature and central role of passion and emotion. The Natural History of Religion is a landmark work in the study of religion as a natural phenomenon. Authoritative critical texts are accompanied by a full array of editorial matter.

Tom L. Beauchamp is Professor of Philosophy and Senior Rsearch Scholar at Georgetown University, Washington DC. He is one of the General Editors of the Clarendon Hume Edition. He is co-author of Principle of Biomedical Ethics (1979, 5th edn. 2001), Hume and the Problem of Causation, and A History and Theory of Informed Consent, and editor of The Clarendon Hume Edition of An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (1998) and An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding (2000) by David Hume, all published by OUP.

• Introduction: A History of Two Dissertations


• A Note on the Text


• Texts


• A DISSERTATION ON THE PASSIONS


• THE NATURAL HISTORY OF RELIGION


• Editorial Material


• Editor's Annotations


• Editorial Appendix: Emendations and Substantive Variants


• Biographical Appendix


• The Intellectual Background


• Reference List


• Catalogue of Hume's References


• Hume's Index


• Editor's Index