The Evidence: Hume Manuscripts

We spoke to lots of people about this project to help shape how to approach it. Advice from Professor Sir Geoff Palmer to examine the evidence and use Hume’s own ideas on himself was pivotal. Hume famously said:

“A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence”

With the kind support of the National Library of Scotland, we supported people to come face to face with their historic collection of Hume manuscripts, including Hume’s own handwritten autobiography and correspondence with Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Included among the documents was both the 1753 and 1777 versions of Hume's footnote on race, contained within his essay On National Characters, offering the opportunity to compare how Hume changed the footnote over the course of two decades as a result of people challenging his writing.

This allowed individuals to see first hand how Hume’s published view on race changed and how it fitted into his wider body of work. Participants saw how he removed some nationalities as a result of criticism but maintained the overall premise of the footnote.

Find out more about what Hume wrote in the footnote

Thank you to Dr Ralph McLean and Robert Betteridge of the National Library of Scotland for sharing their time and expertise.

Above: Hume Manuscripts at the National Library of Scotland.

Photo Credit: Ewan McCall