After I had written the two main divisions of my fundamental metaphysics, I wasn’t sure what to write about next. I chose, in that same post, to divide the four causes, since I tend to use them in many posts, anyway, so it was convenient. But there was no reason to think that that was the most systematically appropriate thing to do at that time. I’m not sure how to organize my thoughts yet.
So my plan, going forward, is to try to comment upon subjects which were treated of in major works on first philosophy. By talking about the same things that they talked about, I would be sure to cover the most important things. If I managed to produce a full commentary of a roughly comprehensive and systematic work, this would assure me of leaving no major topic unexamined.
Since the work would only be used as a guideline for the selection of subjects, though, it is indifferent to me which books to go by. The more classic choice would be to comment upon Aristotle’s Organon and Physics, but I don’t feel like doing that right now. Instead, I have decided to write upon some topics of Hume’s Treatise of Human Nature, which I happened to have been reading recently, and had found very curious and potentially useful for my project.
Commentary has been fruitful for me in the past. When I wrote my review of Moore’s Principia Ethica, it really helped me get my thoughts about ethics in order. I expect that it should be similar with Hume, and whoever else I may decide to comment on in the future.
As a personal note, I think it will probably also be enjoyable. I have always liked giving my comments on what other people have said. Philosophy does begin with dialogue, in my experience; I dearly cherish my best interlocutors.
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