Hume as a Soft Determinist: The Reconciliation of Freewill and Determinism.
This paper is an analysis of the question of freewill and determinism as interpreted from the writings of David Hume. Specifically, this paper will present an overview and analysis of Hume's argument from "Of Liberty and Necessity", and it will be demonstrated that Hume is a 'soft determinist'. It will be argued that because 'necessity' (determinism) is a 'belief' that is conditioned in humans, and because certain patterns of behavior cross-culturally can be observed and understood as similar, that he is therefore a determinist to some extent. 7 pgs. 15 f/c. 1b.