Editing David Hume (section)

=== As a historian of England ===
[[File:Allan Ramsay - David Hume, 1711 - 1776. Historian and philosopher - PG 3521 - National Galleries of Scotland.jpg|thumb|David Hume by [[Allan Ramsay (artist)|Allan Ramsay]], 1754; "Where men are the most sure and arrogant, they are commonly the most mistaken, and have there given reins to passion, without that proper deliberation and suspense, which can alone secure them from the grossest absurdities."
 —''[[w:An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals|An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals]]'', § 9.13 : Conclusion, Pt. 1 (1751)]]
From 1754 to 1762 Hume published ''[[The History of England (Hume)|The History of England]]'', a six-volume work, that extends (according to its subtitle) "From the [[Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain|Invasion of Julius Caesar]] to the [[Glorious Revolution|Revolution in 1688]]." Inspired by [[Voltaire]]'s sense of the breadth of history, Hume widened the focus of the field away from merely kings, parliaments, and armies, to literature and science as well. He argued that the quest for liberty was the highest standard for judging the past, and concluded that after considerable fluctuation, England at the time of his writing had achieved "the most entire system of liberty that was ever known amongst mankind".<ref>Hume's History of England, vol, 6, p. 531 cited in {{harvtxt|Kenyon|1984|p=42}}</ref> It "must be regarded as an event of cultural importance. In its own day, moreover, it was an innovation, soaring high above its very few predecessors."{{sfn|Jessop|2015}} Hume's ''History of England'' made him famous as a historian before he was ever considered a serious philosopher. In this work, Hume uses history to tell the story of the rise of England and what led to its greatness and the disastrous effects that religion has had on its progress. For Hume, the history of England's rise may give a template for others who would also like to rise to its current greatness.<ref name=":0" />

Hume's ''The History of England'' was profoundly impacted by his Scottish background. The science of sociology, which is rooted in Scottish thinking of the eighteenth century, had never before been applied to British philosophical history. Because of his Scottish background, Hume was able to bring an outsider's lens to English history that the insulated English [[Whigs (British political party)|Whigs]] lacked.<ref name=":7" />{{Rp|122}}

Hume's coverage of the political upheavals of the 17th century relied in large part on the [[Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon|Earl of Clarendon]]'s ''History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England'' (1646–69). Generally, Hume took a moderate [[royalist]] position and considered revolution unnecessary to achieve necessary reform. Hume was considered a [[Tories (British political party)|Tory]] historian and emphasised religious differences more than constitutional issues. Laird Okie explains that "Hume preached the virtues of political moderation, but&nbsp;... it was moderation with an anti-Whig, pro-royalist coloring."{{sfn|Okie|1985|p=16}} For "Hume shared the&nbsp;... Tory belief that the [[House of Stuart|Stuarts]] were no more high-handed than their Tudor predecessors".{{sfn|Okie|1985|p=25}} "Even though Hume wrote with an anti-Whig animus, it is, paradoxically, correct to regard the ''History'' as an establishment work, one which implicitly endorsed the ruling oligarchy".{{sfn|Okie|1985|p=27}}
Historians have debated whether Hume posited a universal unchanging human nature, or allowed for evolution and development.{{sfn|Wertz|1975|p=?}}

The debate between Tory and the Whig historians can be seen in the initial reception to Hume's ''History of England''. The Whig-dominated world of 1754 overwhelmingly disapproved of Hume's take on English history. In later editions of the book, Hume worked to "soften or expunge many villainous Whig strokes which had crept into it."<ref name=":7" />{{Rp|121}}

Hume did not consider himself a pure Tory. Before 1745, he was more akin to an "independent whig." In 1748, he described himself as "a whig, though a very skeptical one." This description of himself as in between [[Whiggism]] and [[Toryism]], helps one understand that his ''History of England'' should be read as his attempt to work out his own philosophy of history.<ref name=":7" />{{Rp|122}}

Robert Roth argues that Hume's histories display his biases against [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]]s and [[Puritan]]s. Roth says his anti-Whig pro-monarchy position diminished the influence of his work, and that his emphasis on politics and religion led to a neglect of social and economic history.{{sfn|Roth|1991|p=?}}

Hume was an early cultural [[history of science|historian of science]]. His short biographies of leading scientists explored the process of scientific change. He developed new ways of seeing scientists in the context of their times by looking at how they interacted with society and each other. He covers over forty scientists, with special attention paid to [[Francis Bacon]], [[Robert Boyle]], and [[Isaac Newton]]. Hume particularly praised [[William Harvey]], writing about his treatise of the circulation of the blood: "Harvey is entitled to the glory of having made, by reasoning alone, without any mixture of accident, a capital discovery in one of the most important branches of science."{{sfn|Wertz|1993|p=?}}

The ''History'' became a best-seller and made Hume a wealthy man who no longer had to take up salaried work for others.{{sfn|Morris|Brown|2011|loc=[http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2011/entries/hume/#LifWor Chapter Life and Works]}} It was influential for nearly a century, despite competition from imitations by [[Tobias Smollett|Smollett]] (1757), [[Oliver Goldsmith|Goldsmith]] (1771) and others. By 1894, there were at least 50 editions as well as abridgements for students, and illustrated pocket editions, probably produced specifically for women.{{sfn|Phillipson|2012|p=131}}