Abstract

This paper argues that Part III of Hume's Treatise of Human Nature contains a philosophical elaboration on the foundational conventions of a commercial society. The plausibility of this interpretation of the Treatise is then gauged by juxtaposing it to Hume's historical account of England in the History of England. We find that, in an important sense, the history describes the process of commercial modernization within the parameters set out in the Treatise, which strongly suggests that Hume's political philosophy is uniquely applicable to the modern commercial society, and not to an ahistorical social form