Lumières et conservatisme dans la pensée politique de David Hume
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Abstract EN:
The present study aims at stressing the coherence of hume's work ; at showing why it cannot be fully understood without questionning the traditional historiography of the 18th century, which depicts enlightenment and conservatism as two antagonistic trends ; at rehabilitating hume's political thought, which is still overlooked in france. The study starts with an examination of the part played by politics in hume's work and career, and of the main connexions between his epistemology, his ethics and his politics. It explains why humean studies should focus less on his epistemology and more on his political thought and on his essays. It then moves on to an analysis of hume's relationship to the actors and ideas of the scottish and french enlightenments. Hume appears to be less conservative than most of the literati of the scottish enlightenment - defined as a conservative enlightenment - but is also critical of the radicalism and dogmatism of the philosophes. A detailed examination of his political programme shows that, far from defending the status quo, he advocates far-reaching reforms of institutions and ways of thinking. Hume's reformism raises the question of his conservatism : having showed that the perception of his conservatism evolved considerably, the study approaches conservatism in a substantialist and in an historicist perspective. Hume's position on the political scene and his approach to revolution(s) are examined. This twofold analysis reveals that while it is possible to identify one conservative world view, conservative responses to political events are varied. Hume's conservatism can best be described as a sceptical conservatism, which raises the question of the influence of hume's scepticism on his conservatism, and of hume's political standards. His thought seems to hesitate between "what is established" and "what is best", but the tension can be resolved by resorting to the notion of "committed spectator". As a committed spectator, hume assesses political practices by using relative stantards, such as the "established practice" or the notion of utility. Hume's contextualism, and his utilitarianism, do not lead him to reduce what ought to what is, but they help him determine directions of change which are adapted to practices. His political thought can thus be described as a true philosophy of improvement.
Abstract FR:
Cette etude possede une triple ambition : souligner la coherence et l'unite de l'oeuvre de hume ; montrer en quoi sa comprehension appelle une critique de l'historiographie traditionnelle, qui presente lumieres et conservatisme comme des courants antagonistes ; enfin rehabiliter la pensee politique de hume, encore negligee en france. On examine d'abord la place du politique dans son oeuvre et sa carriere, ainsi que le mode d'articulation de son epistemologie a son ethique et a sa politique, et on montre qu'il est fecond de deplacer le centre de gravite des etudes humiennes vers le politique et les essays. On procede alors a une analyse de la relation de hume tant aux idees qu'aux acteurs des lumieres francaises et ecossaises. Hume se revele moins conservateur que la plupart des penseurs du scottish enlightenment, defini comme lumieres conservatrices, mais il n'epouse pas pour autant le radicalisme et le dogmatisme des philosophes. On examine le contenu de sa doctrine politique et l'on montre que loin de defendre le statu quo, il preconise une reforme profonde des institutions et des mentalites, et insiste sur le caractere dynamique de la societe. Un tel reformisme souleve la question du conservatisme : apres s'etre penche sur les evolutions de la perception du conservatisme humien, on procede a une anatomie de la pensee conservatrice en combinant approche substantialiste et approche historiciste. On examine notamment sa place sur l'echiquier politique, et son analyse de la revolution. Il ressort que si l'on peut definir une vision du monde conservatrice, elle trouve des traductions politiques variees, et le conservatisme humien a pour particularite d'etre un conservatisme sceptique. On determine alors quelle marque le scepticisme imprime au conservatisme de hume, la question etant celle des normes de l'action politique. On montre que la tension entre le possible et le reel chez hume se resout par la notion de "spectateur engage". En tant que spectateur engage, hume a recours a des criteres relatifs d'evaluation politique, tels que la pratique etablie ou l'utilite. Son contextualisme, et son utilitarisme ne le conduisent pas a reduire le devoir-etre a l'etre, mais lui permettent de determiner des orientations de changement adaptees aux pratiques. Sa politique peut alors etre comprise comme une veritable philosophie du progres.