On July 19th, 2021, the Global Asia Research Center at Waseda University organized an online workshop. Byongtaek Lee, a professor at the Northeast Asian History Foundation in Korea, provided a lecture entitled “David Hume for Historical Reconciliation.”

The presentation started with a brief overview of the concepts of human nature theorized by early modern philosophers such as John Locke and Hobbes, explaining a specificity of David Hume’s philosophy. Prof. Lee explained Hume’s reflections on the ‘propensity of human nature’ by contextualizing it in the political history of England. In relation to David Hume’s explanations of the “propensity of human nature,” Prof. Lee chose England as the case study for Europe and guided the presentation by highlighting a brief history of England in which he separated into four periods of the development of the Convention of Authority: (1) From William the conqueror to John (unstable authority); (2) From Henry III to Richard III; (3) From Henry VII to Elizabeth I (Tudor); (4) From James I to James II (Stuart). In particular, Prof. Lee explained the historical significance of the fourth period, pointing to the fact that the correction of the inconveniences of long possession had been made by the popular principles, that is, the rise of commons. He emphasized the role of common law in the constitution of the polity of England and examined its pertinence to Hume’s reflections on human nature.

The presentation invited a lively discussion regarding the application of Hume’s concept of ‘human nature’ relating to historical reconciliation in the European society and let participants discuss what Asian societies could learn from European societies. Prof. Lee also compared the medieval England monarchy and the social situations in England during the 17th century that helped form laws and regulations. Then, he compared the cases in England with the ones in East Asia. Such a detailed understanding of the social development process of both Eastern and Western as well as of England can be considered as a great experience for development in terms of social improvement of Asian society. Prof. Lee argued that human nature significantly contributed to the creation of the constitution.

After a fruitful discussion, the presentation concluded with applying Hume’s concept into Japan’s Meiji Restoration, the next embarkation towards the research for East Asian society, particularly in terms of historical reconciliation.

Published: July 27, 2021