Westminster
David Hume
Great Smoky Mountains
Captain
Fog
Col.1:17
"And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
"Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions"~~~David Hume
Edinburgh, Scotland
Sinu Gold Anthropomorphic Pendant - FJ.6237 Origin: Colombia Circa: 600 AD to 1600 AD
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims
Notre-Dame de Paris back - France
Westminster Sunset
Yosemite Como en los sueños... el Capitán y el Half Dome by Marcel94., via Flickr
Great Smoky Mountains National Park ~ North Carolina and Tennessee
Chess: "David Hume" "Great Smoky Mountains" "Captain" "Fog" "Westminster"
First published Mon Feb 26, 2001; substantive revision Fri May 15, 2009
The most important philosopher ever to write in English, David Hume
(1711-1776) — the last of the great triumvirate of “British
empiricists” — was also well-known in his own time as an
historian and essayist. A master stylist in any genre, Hume's major
philosophical works — A Treatise of Human Nature
(1739-1740), the Enquiries concerning Human Understanding
(1748) and concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), as
well as the posthumously published Dialogues concerning Natural
Religion (1779) — remain widely and deeply
influential. Although many of Hume's contemporaries denounced his
writings as works of scepticism and atheism, his influence is evident
in the moral philosophy and economic writings of his close friend Adam
Smith. Hume also awakened Immanuel Kant from his “dogmatic slumbers”
and “caused the scales to fall” from Jeremy Bentham's eyes. Charles
Darwin counted Hume as a central influence, as did “Darwin's bulldog,”
Thomas Henry Huxley. The diverse directions in which these writers
took what they gleaned from reading Hume reflect not only the richness
of their sources but also the wide range of his empiricism. Today,
philosophers recognize Hume as a precursor of contemporary cognitive
science, as well as one of the most thoroughgoing exponents of
philosophical naturalism.
Sinu Gold Anthropomorphic Pendant
Stylistically this pendant is very similar to those
found in the Calima region. They show a male
figure dressed for a ritual ceremony carrying
staffs or scepters. The difference in the Sinu
style is seen in the distinctive detailing of the
enormous nose ring, with its checkerboard
pattern and five spirals on each side. It is like
wings of a great bird, waving in and out, then
curling straight upwards in dramatic flight. An
interesting feature is the man's nose actually
reaches over the edge of the band, with two
nostril holes clearly seen. This probably
represents deformation done for ritual purposes.
The nose ring is so large it nearly hides the
beautiful ear spools made of coils attached to
large segmented circles. In addition, he wears a
magnificent headdress composed of five
distinctive bands rising to a flared rim. Most
significantly, in terms of the pendants 'purpose,'
are the wonderful staffs; each with a double
banded ring and bulbous end. These may be a
type of musical instrument containing rattles.
The figure is most likely a shaman (priest),
shown in ritual regalia during a religious
ceremony. Such figural pendants buried in elite
tombs were probably intended to represent the
deceased during his most impressive role on
earth. As such, it gives us a chance to see what
splendor and magic existed centuries ago,
preserved forever in gorgeous gold.
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