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Was David Hume a racist? Interpreting Hume's infamous footnote (Part I)

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  • Kendra Asher

Abstract

This is the first part of a two‐part article; the second part will appear in the October 2022 issue of Economic Affairs. In his essay ‘Of National Characters’, David Hume added a now‐infamous footnote denigrating African civilisations and black people in general. Hume is widely recognised as a critic of bigotry, yet his footnote is the height of bigotry, creating a tension. I argue that Hume often wrote in an ambiguous and occasionally contradictory fashion to draw readers with opposing views into his work, yet his true beliefs were sometimes hard to discern. This article examines a number of oddities and inconsistencies in Hume's writing on race, including a striking non sequitur within the footnote.

Suggested Citation

  • Kendra Asher, 2022. "Was David Hume a racist? Interpreting Hume's infamous footnote (Part I)," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 225-239, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecaffa:v:42:y:2022:i:2:p:225-239
    DOI: 10.1111/ecaf.12519
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    1. Daniel R. Brunstetter & Dana Zartner, 2011. "Just War against Barbarians: Revisiting the Valladolid Debates between Sepúlveda and Las Casas," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 59(3), pages 733-752, October.
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    1. Kendra Asher, 2022. "Was David Hume a racist? Interpreting Hume's infamous footnote (Part II)," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(3), pages 477-499, October.
    2. James F Fieser, 2022. "A response to Kendra Asher," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(3), pages 500-504, October.

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