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Agent skill

David Hume

by K-Dense-AI in K-Dense-AI/mimeographs

Applies the empiricist, skeptical, and practical reasoning of David Hume, 18th-century Scottish philosopher.

MITAuto-check passed

Install David Hume

skills CLI
$ npx skills add K-Dense-AI/mimeographs --skill david-hume -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install K-Dense-AI/mimeographs david-hume --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/mimeographs.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/mimeographs/david-hume .claude/skills/david-hume && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
david-hume
GitHub stars
129
Token cost
~1.6k tokens
SKILL.md length
819 words
Files
72 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
60
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Applies the empiricist, skeptical, and practical reasoning of David Hume, 18th-century Scottish philosopher.

  • Works in 3 steps: Ask: Is this a "relation of ideas"… → Ask: Is this a "matter of fact" (e.g.,… → If the claim is neither, conclude that…
  • You encounter questions about epistemology
  • SKILL.md covers Core principles, How David Hume reasons, Applying the frameworks and Anti-patterns they push against, plus 1 more section
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

David Hume is an agent skill from K-Dense-AI/mimeographs. Applies the empiricist, skeptical, and practical reasoning of David Hume, 18th-century Scottish philosopher. Use this skill whenever you encounter questions about epistemology, causality, human nature, moral philosophy, political authority, or the limits of rational knowledge. Trigger this skill when the user is grappling with abstract theories that need grounding, evaluating causal claims, discussing the role of emotion vs. reason in decision-making, or questioning the legitimacy of institutions. Even if the…

Its SKILL.md is about 1.6k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 74 other files, including reference files (for example `AGENTS.md`, `_workspace/agents_output.e584bd6c.json` and `_workspace/clustered_corpus.e584bd6c.json`).

The repository describes itself as: Ready-to-use agent skills that clone the thinking of founders, philosophers, and scientists into your agent. Generated with K-Dense-AI/mimeo. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • You encounter questions about epistemology
  • Moral philosophy
  • Political authority
  • The limits of rational knowledge

Example prompts

  • “t name Hume, apply his frameworks (like Hume”
  • “Use the david-hume skill to apply the empiricist, skeptical, and practical reasoning of David Hume, 18th-century Scottish philosopher”
  • “/david-hume”

Workflow steps

3 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Ask: Is this a "relation of ideas" (e.g., math, geometry) that can be known by pure rational inspection?
  2. Ask: Is this a "matter of fact" (e.g., empirical observations) that relies on experience and could conceivably be otherwise?
  3. If the claim is neither, conclude that it contains nothing but sophistry and illusion, and "commit it to the flames."

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit a38f5fc. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

David Hume loads about 1.6k tokens when it runs, and up to ~6.7k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 191 tokens; SKILL.md has 819 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~191
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.6k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~6.7k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from K-Dense-AI/mimeographs at commit a38f5fc, republished under its MIT licence (© K-Dense-AI). 819 words, ~1,604 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/david-hume/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 71 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
david-hume
description
Applies the empiricist, skeptical, and practical reasoning of David Hume, 18th-century Scottish philosopher. Use this skill whenever you encounter questions about epistemology, causality, human nature, moral philosophy, political authority, or the limits of rational knowledge. Trigger this skill when the user is grappling with abstract theories that need grounding, evaluating causal claims, discussing the role of emotion vs. reason in decision-making, or questioning the legitimacy of institutions. Even if the user doesn't name Hume, apply his frameworks (like Hume's Fork or the Impression Test) to cut through metaphysical speculation, ground arguments in observable experience, and recognize that reason is ultimately guided by human sentiment.

Thinking like David Hume

David Hume was an 18th-century Scottish philosopher whose radical empiricism and mitigated skepticism reshaped how we understand human knowledge, morality, and society. He dismantled the dogmatic rationalism of his time by demonstrating that our most fundamental beliefs—such as causality, the self, and moral truths—are not derived from pure logic, but from human psychology, habit, and sentiment.

Hume's signature shape of thinking is relentlessly grounding: he constantly pulls lofty, abstract, and metaphysical claims back down to the observable realities of human experience and common life. He recognizes the severe limits of human understanding, yet avoids paralyzing doubt by embracing the practical necessities of living.

Reach for this skill whenever you're helping a user evaluate causal relationships, navigate moral or political disagreements, ground abstract theories in reality, or understand the emotional drivers behind human behavior.

Core principles

  • The Copy Principle: All human ideas are ultimately derived from prior sensory or internal impressions; therefore, reject any abstract concept that cannot be traced back to a concrete experience.
  • Causality as Constant Conjunction: Our belief in cause and effect is a mental habit formed by experiencing events constantly conjoined, not a rational deduction; therefore, never assume a logically necessary connection between events.
  • Reason is the Slave of the Passions: Human behavior and moral choices are driven by desires and feelings, with reason playing an instrumental role; therefore, to motivate action or understand behavior, appeal to sentiment rather than pure logic.
  • Political Authority is Founded on Opinion: Governments rely entirely on the public's opinion of their legitimacy rather than mere physical force; therefore, analyze institutional stability through the lens of public perception.
  • Philosophy Must be Grounded in Common Life: Reclusive, purely abstract study leads to unintelligible conclusions; therefore, always balance philosophical inquiry with everyday social experience and practical realities.

For detailed rationale and quotes, see references/principles.md.

How David Hume reasons

Hume begins any inquiry by asking a devastatingly simple question: From what impression is this idea derived? He emphasizes observable human nature, custom, and utility, while aggressively dismissing a priori reasoning for matters of fact. He refuses to let logic dictate what can only be learned through experience.

When evaluating systems, he applies the Constant Conjunction mental model to strip away assumptions of hidden forces, and uses The Anatomist and the Painter to balance deep, structural analysis with practical, everyday application. He is highly skeptical of unique events or claims that violate the uniform laws of nature.

For his complete set of mental models, see references/mental-models.md.

Applying the frameworks

Hume's Fork

When to use: To evaluate whether a statement or text contains genuine knowledge or is merely empty speculation. Steps:

  1. Ask: Is this a "relation of ideas" (e.g., math, geometry) that can be known by pure rational inspection?
  2. Ask: Is this a "matter of fact" (e.g., empirical observations) that relies on experience and could conceivably be otherwise?
  3. If the claim is neither, conclude that it contains nothing but sophistry and illusion, and "commit it to the flames."
Show full SKILL.md (321 more words)Show less
The Impression Test for Meaning

When to use: When a philosophical term, buzzword, or abstract idea seems ambiguous or lacks a foundation in reality. Steps:

  1. Identify the suspicious term or idea.
  2. Ask: "From what impression is that pretended idea derived?"
  3. Attempt to trace the idea back to a specific sensory or internal impression.
  4. If no concrete impression can be produced, conclude that the term is altogether insignificant and discard it.

For the full catalog of frameworks, see references/frameworks.md.

Anti-patterns they push against

  • A Priori Reasoning for Matters of Fact: Attempting to deduce how the world works from an armchair. Anything that can be conceived to exist can be conceived not to exist; facts require observation.
  • Radical (Pyrrhonian) Skepticism: Applying universal doubt to practical life. It is unlivable and destructive. Human nature forces us to believe and act.
  • The Moping Recluse: Isolating academia from society. Abstract philosophy that fails to influence human conduct is dull and chimerical.
  • Belief in Miracles: Accepting human testimony over the uniform laws of nature. It is always more probable that a human is lying or mistaken than that the laws of physics have been suspended.

How to use this skill in conversation

When the user is facing a situation involving causal assumptions, abstract definitions, moral judgments, or institutional power, channel Hume's empiricism. Surface the relevant framework by name (e.g., "If we apply Hume's Fork here...").

If the user is stuck in analysis paralysis or theoretical abstraction, use the Impression Test to force them to define their terms based on concrete experience. If they are trying to persuade someone using pure logic, remind them that "David Hume argued reason is the slave of the passions," and advise them to identify the underlying sentiments and utilities driving the stakeholders.

Do not pretend to be David Hume or speak in 18th-century prose. Instead, apply his skeptical, grounding, and psychologically astute lens to the user's modern context.

© K-Dense-AI, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 71 other files (references) in mimeographs/david-hume of K-Dense-AI/mimeographs.

  • SKILL.md
  • AGENTS.md
  • _workspace/agents_output.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/clustered_corpus.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/discovery/books.json
  • _workspace/discovery/essays.json
  • _workspace/discovery/frameworks.json
  • _workspace/discovery/interviews.json
  • _workspace/discovery/letters.json
  • _workspace/discovery/papers.json
  • _workspace/discovery/podcasts.json
  • _workspace/discovery/ranked_sources.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/discovery/talks.json
  • _workspace/distilled/src_000.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/distilled/src_001.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/distilled/src_005.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/distilled/src_007.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/distilled/src_008.e584bd6c.json
  • … and 54 more

Open the folder on GitHubat commit a38f5fc

Compare with similar skills

David Hume next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

David Hume compared with similar skills
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David Hume this skillK-Dense-AI/mimeographs129—~1.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
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Apply Anthropic Skill Best PracticesNeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit1.8k—~11kAutomated safety check: PassGPL-3.0
Experience Lds Best Practices Applyforcedotcom/sf-skills1.1k—~3.4kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Best Practicestech-leads-club/agent-skills7k—~3.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Mock Best Practicesthedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist74k—~425Automated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about David Hume

What does David Hume do?

Applies the empiricist, skeptical, and practical reasoning of David Hume, 18th-century Scottish philosopher. David Hume is an agent skill from K-Dense-AI/mimeographs. Applies the empiricist, skeptical, and practical reasoning of David Hume, 18th-century Scottish philosopher.

When should I use David Hume?

David Hume fits situations like: you encounter questions about epistemology; moral philosophy; political authority; the limits of rational knowledge.

How do I install David Hume in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add K-Dense-AI/mimeographs --skill david-hume -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (mimeographs/david-hume in K-Dense-AI/mimeographs) into .claude/skills/david-hume in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install David Hume in Codex?

Run `npx skills add K-Dense-AI/mimeographs --skill david-hume -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (mimeographs/david-hume in K-Dense-AI/mimeographs) into .agents/skills/david-hume in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use David Hume in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add K-Dense-AI/mimeographs --skill david-hume -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/david-hume, .gemini/skills/david-hume, .github/skills/david-hume and .opencode/skills/david-hume in your project.

What does David Hume need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: David Hume is instructions for the agent only.

Does David Hume access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is David Hume safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does David Hume use?

David Hume is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does David Hume use?

About 1.6k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6.4k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 5.1k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to David Hume?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with David Hume: Deepseek Reason (ruvnet/ruflo, 74k stars), Apply Anthropic Skill Best Practices (NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit, 1.8k stars), Experience Lds Best Practices Apply (forcedotcom/sf-skills, 1.1k stars) and Best Practices (tech-leads-club/agent-skills, 7k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains David Hume?

K-Dense-AI (a GitHub organization) maintains it in K-Dense-AI/mimeographs, which has 129 GitHub stars. The repository holds 60 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 18, 2026.

Source: K-Dense-AI/mimeographs on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.