David Hume's political theory law, commerce, and the constitution of government / Neil McArthur.

Includes bibliographies and index.

Hume's indissoluble chain -- Barbarous government and the perils of discretion -- General laws and civilized government -- Luxury and the ancient states -- The case of Britain -- Hume's precautionary conservatism.

"David Hume (1711-1776) is perhaps best known for his treatises on problems of epistemology, skepticism and causation. A less familiar side of his intellectual achievement is his work on legal and political theory. David Hume's Political Theory examines Hume's diverse writings on law and government and argues that the philosopher had developed a coherent and persuasive theory of politics." "Through close textual analysis, Neil McArthur suggests that the key to Hume's political theory lies in its distinction between barbarous and civilized government. In this study, the author explores Hume's argument that a society's progress from barbarism to civilization depends on the legal and political system by which it is governed. In contrast to many Humean scholars, McArthur demonstrates that the skepticism apparent in much of Hume's work does not necessarily entail a strict conservative ideology; in fact, Hume's political theory emphasized many liberal virtues as well."--Jacket.

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