Born on April 26, 1711 David Hume was soon to be one of the worlds greatest philosophers of time. David Home who changed his name to Hume in 1731, has not only been known as a philosopher, but as well as an economist, a historian, a political essayist, and a diplomat. When Hume was the age of 3 his father died, leaving his mother to raise him alone. Born in Edinburgh, Hume was intended to go into law. Hume entered The University of Edinburgh at age 12 (Which wasn't all that uncommon in his day). However at the age of 15 Hume decided that law wasn't for him, and changed career paths, and planned to devote his time to his philosophical beliefs. At the age of 23, Hume disappeared to France, where he wrote his world famous "Treatise Of Human Nature". In 1744 Hume became a tutor for the Marquis of Annadale after being denied a chair at Edinburgh for moral philosophy. By 1769, Hume begins to loose his figure, and starts to gain weight. Doctors searched for the cause of this weight gain, and when feeling around his stomach came across a tumour. Hume, the sceptical man he is, felt around and verified that the tumour was there. In 1776 David Hume died from a tumour in his liver.
One of Hume's beliefs was his view on the external world. For example, looking at something right in front of you, an object that is clearly there, or is it? Hume had a strong belief that objects in the external world may not always be what people are seeing. For example, a person is standing in front of you; you know that clearly you have no idea who this person is. However, from a distance you may think this person is someone else, and may strongly believe that it is someone you know. Ideas which go thought you head, may make you visualize what you want to see rather than what you actually are seeing. Hume, who was always a sceptical philosopher tries to explain that maybe everything isn't what is perceived, which then generates the question, can we really rely on our senses at all times?.
