Michael Turnbull: A treatise on David Hume's nature

Published on Thursday 21 July 2011 20:50

As experts converge on Edinburgh to celebrate the birth of the philosopher, perhaps it's time to reconsider his views on religion

THE international Hume Society Conference this week at Edinburgh University, to celebrate the tercentenary of the birth of the Edinburgh-born philosopher David Hume, is as good a time as any to play Devil's Advocate and ask: Just how much does Hume the atheist owe to the Catholic Church?

Hume matriculated at Edinburgh University in February 1723 and left two years later. For the following eight years he studied privately, preparing to become a lawyer by attending the Court of Session.

In spite of the widespread destruction of Roman Catholic literature at the Reformation, much continued to be available. In 1580 the advocate Clement Little died and left his books to the kirk and town of Edinburgh. Four years later, these volumes formed the nucleus of what would become Edinburgh University Library. Most of Little's 276 books were theological.

The Advocates Library was formally inaugurated in 1689. It also contained many early works on canon law and David Hume, as Keeper of the Advocates' Library from 1751 to 1763, had access to the best collection of books in Scotland, which would later be the basis for the National Library of Scotland.

Hume also had access to some of the finest continental libraries. In 1734, while researching and writing in France at Reims, Hume was able to consult the magnificent library of the local Jesuit College, which contained 5,000 volumes. The following year Hume moved to a house near the Collge Royal des Jsuites at La Flche in Anjou, a property made available by the Jesuits for their guests. There he continued to work on his Treatise of Human Nature. After two years of research at La Flche, spent disputing the possibility of miracles with the Jesuits, Hume had completed the first two books of his Treatise and moved to London to prepare his book for publication.

While he may have read the medieval philosophers if only to dispute their conclusions, Hume, brought up in an atmosphere of strict Calvinism, was no friend of the Catholic faith. In his Treatise of Human Nature he describes Catholicism as "that strange superstition" whose followers were the most zealous sect in the world.

In his Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Hume condemns what he sees as the theatrical liturgy of the Roman Catholic religion. Hume was also highly critical of the belief in miracles, common not just to Roman Catholicism, but to other Christian denominations. In 1761, Hume's works were placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, a list of publications banned by the Catholic Church until 14 June, 1966, when the Index was abolished by Pope Paul VI.

However, in spite of Hume's rejection of what he called the "mummeries" of Roman Catholicism, he seemed unwittingly to have drifted towards the Catholic Church in rather strange circumstances.

While accompanying his relative, General James St Clair, on a secret diplomatic mission to Turin, a trick was played on the by now portly but ever amorously-inclined Hume. He was deceived into believing that he might successfully woo a beautiful countess to whom he had taken a fancy. The philosopher, whose sedentary military career had led to an increase in girth, attempted to woo the countess but was, after some initial dalliance, scornfully rejected.

This unhappiness in loveled Hume to developaviolent fever and a raging delirium. In his nightmare he talked wildly about the Devil, Hell and Damnation. He even tried, unsuccessfully, to drown himself in a nearby well, and then immediately began to make preparations to commit suicide, in the Roman way, by falling on a sword.

Alarmed by this illness, Hume's companions sent for Catholic priests and Hume was hastily given Extreme Unction by the Jesuits. Hume eventually recovered and in later life he dismissed his "conversion", putting it down to his delirious state: "I did not know what I said, or they (the priests] did to me." However, his acquaintances were not entirely convinced by his disavowals.

In December 1763, while serving as Secretary at the British Embassy in Paris, Hume visited the Scots College several times to revise the text of his History of England in the light of the fourteen volumes of King James VII's memoirs, written in the king's own handwriting. Hume later expressed his gratitude for Principal John Gordon's help in cross-checking Hume's writings against the royal memoirs.

Hume once asked Fr. Gordon if he had anything he wanted him to send to London in the diplomatic bag. Fr. Gordon replied that he had none, except a Papal Bull to create a Scots bishop. Hume gleefully indicated that he would be delighted to oblige. Fr. Gordon could not believe him but Hume repeated that there was nothing he wanted better than to send the Bull. Accordingly, Hume forwarded it to the Secretary of State, the irony of which delighted him.

On the afternoon of 25 August, 1776, David Hume died a tranquil and peaceful death in his house at 21 South St David Street, supported by his friends and encouraged by his many admirers. He was buried four days later in the Old Calton burial ground in driving rain. Unhappily, over the years vandalism has struck the imposing stone drum that the architect Robert Adam built over his friend Hume's grave.

The simplicity of Adam's design has a Zen-like purity, open to the clouds moving high above and to the wind, snow and rain. But the stout iron gate protecting the monument was burst open some time ago and the commemorative marble plaque pulled off the wall. The former has since been replaced by a temporary security gate. The stonework of the mausoleum, the focus of international philosophical pilgrimage, is still in a serious state of disrepair.

In 2010, the City of Edinburgh Council was successful in placing five historic Edinburgh graveyards (one of them being the Old Calton) on the World Monuments Fund watch-list. This was followed by the appointment of Dr. Susan Buckham (Carved StonesAdviser Project with The Council for Scottish Archaeology), to create a strategy in partnership with Edinburgh World Heritage Trust. This will include the restoration of the David Hume mausoleum at the Old Calton burial ground.

Coincidentally, redevelopment of the site of Hume's home at the corner of St Andrew Square and South St David Street is scheduled for sometime in the not-too-distant future. This will mean demolishing the current office building on the site.

When this happens it is possible that this will provide a unique opportunity to find out if any parts of Hume's original house (and his famous wine-cellar) still exist.

When Hume's house was demolished in the 1950s, two large underground cellars were discovered on the St Andrew Square side. In spite of Hume's misgivings and antipathy to many of Catholic Church's rituals and much of its theology, he repeatedly made use of Catholic authors and institutions, as they so provided him with the resources he needed to write his books. Hume's professional attitude to religion has to be distinguished from his personal morality which was marked by generosity and geniality.

His many friends saw the irony of his very Christian attitude to personal relationships and the dark scepticism of his writings, none more so than his close friend, the young and bewitching Nancy Ord, and her provocative graffitti chalked on the wall of his New Town home – "Saint David Street".

• Michael T.R.B. Turnbull PhD is the author of The Edinburgh Graveyard Guide and a recent Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) in the University of Edinburgh