Hume's French Conversation

'But the most eminent instance of the flourishing of learning in absolute governments is that of France, which scarcely ever enjoyed any established liberty, and yet has carried the arts and sciences as near perfection as any other nation. The English are, perhaps, greater philosophers; the Italians better painters and musicians; the Romans were greater orators; but the French are the only people, except the Greeks, who have been at once philosophers, poets, orators, historians, painters, architects, sculptors, and musicians. With regard to the stage, they have excelled even the Greeks, who far excelled the English. And, in common life, they have, in a great measure, perfected that art, the most useful and agreeable of any, l'Art de Vivre, the art of society and conversation.' (Of Civil Liberty)

'Our jealousy and our hatred of France are without bounds; and the former sentiment, at least, must be acknowledged reasonable and well-grounded' (Of the Balance of Trade)

Through a series of plenary lectures, regular sessions and round tables, this colloquium proposes to explore a subject that has never been treated with the attention it deserves: the specific relations with France that helped make David Hume into the philosopher, man of letters, political author, economist and historian that he was.

Jeudi 6 septembre
Fondation Deutsch de la Meurthe
37, bd Jourdan
75014 Paris

10h
Ouverture : Robert Mankin (Paris-Diderot), The ‘Life’ and ‘Vie’ of David Hume
James Harris (St Andrews), Hume and Rapin: a reconsideration
Michel Malherbe (Nantes), De Paris à Berlin, une singulière réception de ‘l’Enquête sur l'entendement humain’

14h Influences françaises
Eléonore Le Jallé (Lille 3)&  Emilio Mazza (Milano - IULM), Careless sceptics. Hume and Huet
Angela Coventry (Portand State), Malebranche and Hume on Custom or Habit
Christian Maurer (Fribourg), Human Nature, Amour-propre and Society: Hume on Themes from the French Augustinian Moralists
Jean-Pierre Cléro (Rouen), « Le bon David ». Hume et Diderot.

Vendredi 7 septembre
Institut Charles V - Université Paris-Diderot
10, rue Charles V
75004 Paris

9h Relations au présent
Laurent Jaffro (Paris 1), Hume ou Pascal
Patrick Ghrenassia (Paris 4), Hume et Montesquieu
Laura Berchielli (Clermont), Hume et Condillac : espace et phénoménisme

Table ronde : économie, animée par Didier Deleule (Paris-Ouest)
Catherine Larrère (Paris 1), Hume et Turgot
Allan Potofsky (Paris-Diderot), The circulation in France of Hume's Political Discourses
Daniel Diatkine (Evry), Équilibres du commerce et équilibres des pouvoirs : à propos du cosmopolitisme de Hume

14h La société
Moritz Baumstark (Heidelberg), Hume and the querelle des anciens et des modernes

Tony La Vopa (North Carolina), The Philosopher and the Comtesse?
Jacqueline Taylor (San Francisco), Hume on Women and the Virtues of Modern Society


Samedi 8 septembre
Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal / BNF
1, rue Sully
75004 Paris

9h-12h Religion
Claire Etchégaray (Paris-Ouest Nanterre), Le défi logique de la question des miracles : Hume versus Port-Royal
Todd Ryan (Trinity College, USA), Hume’s Use of Stratonism in the Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
Xavier Papaïs (ENS, Paris), La question idolâtre
Willem Lemmens (Anvers), Hume and Rousseau on 'True Religion'

14h-17h Postérités au XIXe siècle
Jean-Pierre Grima Morales (Besançon), Hume et Mérian: du scepticisme au phénoménisme
Frédéric Brahami (Besançon), L’ennemi, le précurseur : Hume, au cœur de la pensée sociale française du premier XIXe siècle
Céline Bonicco (Grenoble), De la sympathie à l'imitation. David Hume, Théodule Ribot et Gabriel Tarde
Laurent Clauzade (Caen), David Hume, penseur dogmatique ? Auguste Comte et l’œuvre de David Hume

Contact : [email protected]