Representation and Copying in Hume’s Treatise and Later Works

Some of Hume’s central arguments in the Treatise—for example, about causality, self, and motivation—concern which our perceptions represent, what these can cannot represent. A growing body literature aims to reconstruct theory mental representation that (it is presumed) underwrites arguments. The most popular type interpretation says that, according theory, copying plays a significant role explaining representation. This paper raises two challenges such interpretations. First, they be squared with Treatise Book 2’s account passions formed via sympathy (hereinafter, sympathetic passions). Second, treatment his later works differs significantly from Treatise, provides no clear evidence mature Hume accepted based on copying.