Political economy, race and slavery according ro David Hume.

Notes on cancellation culture

Abstract

This article addresses David Hume's reflections on trade and slavery appearing in his work on political economy. We expose the origins of his conception of political economy In the context of his time. This is not an isolated area of his work, but rather emerges from his general vision of human nature and society. In particular, we defend the validity of his arguments about the functioning of money, an issue that has special implications in the international arena. At the same time, the defense of trade as a link between countries served as the foundation for cosmopolitan liberalism that would blossom in the classical thinkers of the subsequent generation. Regarding the problem of slavery, we critically analyze Hume's arguments about the population in the ancient nations, and we highlight some contradictions that arise between his criticism of this institution and the ideological limitations of a slave-based economic structure. At the same time, we reflect on the rejection generated by the discovery of racist references in some marginal texts of the Scottish intellectual, an issue that has prompted a reaction to his figure from the culture of cancellation and that threatens to obscure his legacy.