An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

E14592

book philosophical work treatise

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is a seminal philosophical work by David Hume that critically examines the nature and limits of human knowledge, especially our beliefs about causation, induction, and miracles.

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All labels observed (8)

Label	Occurrences
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding canonical	16
Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding	1
Of the Idea of Necessary Connexion	1
Of the Origin of Ideas	1
Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding	1
Section II Of the Origin of Ideas	1
Section IV Sceptical Doubts concerning the Operations of the Understanding	1
Section VII Of the Idea of Necessary Connexion	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T124474 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Context triple: [David Hume, notableWork, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding]

A. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
An Essay Concerning Human Understanding is John Locke’s foundational philosophical work that explores the origins, limits, and nature of human knowledge and helped shape Enlightenment thought.
B. A Treatise of Human Nature
A Treatise of Human Nature is an influential 18th-century philosophical work by David Hume that systematically develops his empiricist account of human psychology, knowledge, and morality.
C. Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect
Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect is an unfinished philosophical work by Baruch Spinoza that outlines a method for improving the mind to attain true knowledge and intellectual perfection.
D. A System of Logic
A System of Logic is John Stuart Mill’s influential 1843 philosophical treatise that systematically develops inductive logic and the empirical foundations of scientific reasoning.
E. The Problems of Philosophy
The Problems of Philosophy is a short, accessible 1912 book by Bertrand Russell that introduces key issues in epistemology and metaphysics, such as the nature of reality, knowledge, and appearance versus reality.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Target entity description: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is a seminal philosophical work by David Hume that critically examines the nature and limits of human knowledge, especially our beliefs about causation, induction, and miracles.

A. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
An Essay Concerning Human Understanding is John Locke’s foundational philosophical work that explores the origins, limits, and nature of human knowledge and helped shape Enlightenment thought.
B. A Treatise of Human Nature
A Treatise of Human Nature is an influential 18th-century philosophical work by David Hume that systematically develops his empiricist account of human psychology, knowledge, and morality.
C. Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect
Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect is an unfinished philosophical work by Baruch Spinoza that outlines a method for improving the mind to attain true knowledge and intellectual perfection.
D. A System of Logic
A System of Logic is John Stuart Mill’s influential 1843 philosophical treatise that systematically develops inductive logic and the empirical foundations of scientific reasoning.
E. The Problems of Philosophy
The Problems of Philosophy is a short, accessible 1912 book by Bertrand Russell that introduces key issues in epistemology and metaphysics, such as the nature of reality, knowledge, and appearance versus reality.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	book ⓘ philosophical work ⓘ treatise ⓘ
author	David Hume ⓘ
basedOn	A Treatise of Human Nature ⓘ
centralConcept	constant conjunction ⓘ copy principle ⓘ habit or custom as basis of causal inference ⓘ impressions and ideas distinction ⓘ necessary connection as mental expectation ⓘ problem of induction ⓘ relations of ideas and matters of fact ⓘ skeptical argument about miracles ⓘ
countryOfOrigin	Scotland ⓘ
genre	empiricist philosophy ⓘ epistemology ⓘ
hasAlternativeTitle	Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ linked to: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
hasPart	Section I Of the Different Species of Philosophy ⓘ Section II Of the Origin of Ideas ⓘ linked to: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Section III Of the Association of Ideas ⓘ Section IV Sceptical Doubts concerning the Operations of the Understanding ⓘ linked to: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Section IX Of the Reason of Animals ⓘ Section V Sceptical Solution of these Doubts ⓘ Section VI Of Probability ⓘ Section VII Of the Idea of Necessary Connexion ⓘ linked to: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Section VIII Of Liberty and Necessity ⓘ Section X Of Miracles ⓘ Section XI Of a Particular Providence and of a Future State ⓘ Section XII Of the Academical or Sceptical Philosophy ⓘ
isRevisionOf	A Treatise of Human Nature ⓘ
mainSubject	causation ⓘ epistemology ⓘ human understanding ⓘ induction ⓘ miracles ⓘ skepticism ⓘ
notableFor	formulation of the modern problem of induction ⓘ influential argument against rational belief in miracles ⓘ systematic critique of causal reasoning ⓘ
originalLanguage	English ⓘ
period	Enlightenment philosophy ⓘ
philosophicalInfluenceOn	Immanuel Kant ⓘ analytic philosophy ⓘ logical positivism ⓘ
philosophicalSchool	empiricism ⓘ
placeOfPublication	London ⓘ linked to: London, England
publicationYear	1748 ⓘ
publisher	Andrew Millar ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (23)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

David Hume → notableWork → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

Scottish Enlightenment → notableWorkProduced → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding → hasPart → Section II Of the Origin of Ideas ⓘ

linked to: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding → hasPart → Section IV Sceptical Doubts concerning the Operations of the Understanding ⓘ

linked to: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding → hasPart → Section VII Of the Idea of Necessary Connexion ⓘ

linked to: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding → hasAlternativeTitle → Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

linked to: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

David Home → notableWork → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

A Treatise of Human Nature → followedBy → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion → relatedWorkOfAuthor → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

The Natural History of Religion → relatedWorkByAuthor → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals → relatedWork → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

Section V Sceptical Solution of these Doubts → partOf → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

British Enlightenment → notableWork → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

Section I Of the Different Species of Philosophy → partOf → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

Section I Of the Different Species of Philosophy → openingSectionOf → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

Section VIII Of Liberty and Necessity → partOf → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

Section XI Of a Particular Providence and of a Future State → partOf → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

Of Custom and Education → partOfWork → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

Of Custom and Education → relatedWork → Of the Origin of Ideas ⓘ

linked to: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Of Custom and Education → relatedWork → Of the Idea of Necessary Connexion ⓘ

linked to: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Of Scepticism and Other Systems of Philosophy → relatedWork → Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

linked to: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Book IV of the Dialogues → relatedWork → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

Book I of the Dialogues → relatedWork → An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ⓘ

All labels observed (8)

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Statements (48)

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Referenced by (23)

How this entity was disambiguated

How these facts were elicited