Topics Philosophy

Question Locke and Reid wrote essays, Hume and Berkeley wrote treatises, Reid also wrote an inquiry and Hume wrote an enquiry, etc. What's the difference between an essay, an enquiry, an inquiry and a treatise? Thanks, T

Accepted:
June 7, 2006

Comments

I don't believe Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Reid were using these terms—which you take from the titles of their books—in terribly specific senses. There may have been historical echoes. Certainly Leibniz's New Essay Concerning Human Understanding was so-called to echo the title of Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding. But there is one obvious difference: "essay" and "treatise" are names of kinds of writing; an "inquiry" is a certain kind of act or, perhaps, a report of the results of such an act. But again, I'd not read much into that.

As for the difference between "inquiry" and "enquiry", modern dictionaries regard these as mere variant spellings, and it's worth remembering that spelling was not so uniform in those days as it is now.

Question Locke and Reid wrote essays, Hume and Berkeley wrote treatises, Reid also wrote an inquiry and Hume wrote an enquiry, etc. What's the difference between an essay, an enquiry, an inquiry and a treatise? Thanks, T Accepted:June 7, 2006

Question Locke and Reid wrote essays, Hume and Berkeley wrote treatises, Reid also wrote an inquiry and Hume wrote an enquiry, etc. What's the difference between an essay, an enquiry, an inquiry and a treatise? Thanks, T

Accepted:
June 7, 2006