ABSTRACT
Does Hume believe that there are causes in the world that have the power to bring about their effects? Does he believe that these causes are objects in the world? Does he believe that there are any objects in the world at all? What does Hume think about the fact that some people (but not all of us) feel compelled to ask questions about causes and objects? These questions have been discussed for some time, but over the last few years, with the introduction of new readings of Hume as a sceptical realist about causal powers and external objects, the discussion has moved to new levels of sophistication, subtlety and care in the interpretation of Hume’s texts and their historical context. The sceptical realist interpretations claim that Hume believed we can know that causal powers and objects exist in the world, although we may not be able to know any more about them than that they exist. The purpose of this anthology is to document some of the early moves in this new stage of the discussion, to further the discussion even more, and to suggest some ways in which it might fruitfully be continued in the future. In this introduction, I will sketch how I see the issues raised in the debate over sceptical realist readings of Hume fitting into various facets of Hume’s overall account of belief. I will also offer some introductory remarks on the essays that make up the rest of this volume.
