action, and may not the atheists likewise take possession of it, and affirm that plants, animals, men, &c. are nothing but particular actions of one simple universal substance, which exerts itself from a blind and absolute necessity?" - Meaning and context.">
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For do our Theologians pretend to make a monopoly of the word, action, and may not the atheists likewise take possession of it, and affirm that plants, animals, men, &c. are nothing but particular actions of one simple universal substance, which exerts itself from a blind and absolute necessity?

— David Hume

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "For do our Theologians pretend to make a monopoly of the word, action, and may not the atheists likewise take possession of it, and affirm that plants, animals, men, &c. are nothing but particular actions of one simple universal substance, which exerts itself from a blind and absolute necessity?" in the context of "Part 4, Section 5" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "David Hume" (Quotes, A Treatise of Human Nature (1739-40), Book 1: Of the understanding) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
David Hume

About David Hume

David Hume (7 May 1711, N.S. April 26, O.S. – 25 August 1776) was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist and essayist.