The prominence of the imagination in David Hume's philosophy has been recognised by generations of readers. In this rich study, Timothy Costelloe gives us the most complete picture yet of Hume's view of imagination and its place in his philosophy.Costelloe convincingly shows that Hume's concept of imagination is coherent, formulating the features that compose its distinctive character. Discover how this understanding of imagination informs Hume's approach to the various subjects he treats in his work: metaphysics, morals and politics, aesthetics, history, religion and the practice of philosophy itself.

List of AbbreviationsPreface1. Hume's Imagination2. Metaphysics3. Morals and Politics4. Aesthetics5. History6. Religion7. PhilosophyBibliography

Timothy Costelloe is Professor of Philosophy at The College of William & Mary. He is the author of Aesthetics and Morals in the Philosophy of David Hume (Routledge, 2007), The British Aesthetic Tradition: From Shaftesbury to Wittgenstein (Cambridge University Press, 2013) and he is editor of The Sublime: From Antiquity to the Present (Cambridge University Press, 2012).