David Hume IQ
Philosopher & Historian · 1711–1776
Quick Answer
David Hume's IQ is estimated at 160 to 180. Cox's 1926 study gave him a corrected 180; no test was ever taken.
Cox's corrected estimate for Hume was 180. His early start and the lasting force of his arguments support a high rating.
- Estimated IQ
- 160+
- Range
- 160–180
- Known for
- The problem of induction
- Basis
- Cox 1926 historiometric estimate
Evidence status: Low confidence. Hume died in 1776. No test exists; the figure below is from a 1926 study of biographies. Historical achievement cannot be converted into a precise modern test result. This page separates documented evidence from interpretation.
What was David Hume's IQ?
Hume never took an IQ test. Catharine Cox's 1926 study gave him a corrected estimate of 180, based on records of his early life. Adjusted for the Flynn effect that falls to about 160, so LifeScore uses a working range of 160 to 180.
What is the problem of induction?
Hume asked what justifies expecting the future to resemble the past. We see the sun rise every day, but no amount of past sunrises logically proves the next one. His point was that much of our reasoning rests on habit, not proof, and philosophers still argue about it.
Where does the 180 figure come from?
The 180 is Catharine Cox's corrected estimate from her 1926 study of 301 eminent people born between 1450 and 1850. She rated each person from biographical records of what they could do as a child and young adult, then corrected for gaps in the record.
Cox's numbers sit on an old ratio-IQ scale. One secondary tabulation subtracts about 22 points for the Flynn effect, which puts David Hume near 160.
LifeScore lists 160+, and the working range of 160 to 180 spans both figures. None of them is a test result.
How smart was David Hume?
The Treatise
He wrote A Treatise of Human Nature in his twenties, published in 1739 and 1740.
Induction and causation
He showed that cause and effect are known by experience, not reason alone.
Is and ought
He pointed out that no amount of facts about what is can prove what ought to be.
Best-selling historian
His History of England was a standard work for a century.
How Hume thought
Hume followed arguments to their end, calmly, even when the end was uncomfortable. He was a sceptic who stayed cheerful, famously saying that when philosophy led to doubt he would dine, play backgammon and be merry with friends.
Evidence behind the David Hume IQ estimate
The estimate is a structured interpretation of the record, not a recovered test score. These are the strongest signals and the reasons for caution.
Evidence considered
- Cox's 1926 study gave Hume a corrected estimate of 180, about 160 after a Flynn-effect adjustment.
- He entered the University of Edinburgh unusually young, at about 11 or 12.
- He wrote A Treatise of Human Nature in his twenties; its problem of induction is still debated.
What the estimate cannot prove
- He himself said the Treatise "fell dead-born from the press", so influence came slowly.
- Philosophical impact is not a direct measure of reasoning ability.
- Cox's scale runs higher than modern deviation IQ.
Hume vs Kant, Smith, Locke
How David Hume's estimate compares with related figures. Every number here is an estimate, and the basis differs from person to person.
| Figure | Estimate | Range |
|---|---|---|
| David Hume | 160+ | 160–180 |
| Immanuel Kant | 160+ | 155–175 |
| Adam Smith | 155+ | 150–170 |
| John Locke | 155+ | 145–165 |
Take the Hume IQ test
David Hume's estimate is 160+. Our Einstein IQ test is a short visual reasoning challenge. See which side of that number you land on.
Take the Hume IQ testDavid Hume's IQ is represented here by a retrospective estimate of 160+, not a verified test result. David Hume is best known for exceptional skepticism. The useful question is what the surviving evidence shows, not whether a precise modern score can be recovered.
Psychological Profile
Genial sceptic. Calmly asked questions that unsettled everyone else.
The dominant archetype here is The Sage. This archetype shapes decision patterns: what feels natural, what creates friction, and what blind spots tend to emerge.
Estimated IQ is 160+. This is a rough estimate based on documented accomplishments and contemporary accounts, not a literal measurement.
Key Behavioral Traits
He entered Edinburgh University unusually young, at about 11 or 12.
He said his Treatise "fell dead-born from the press".
Kant said Hume woke him from his "dogmatic slumber".
One thing most people do not know
Hume was a close friend of Adam Smith, who wrote an admiring account of his last days.
Sources for this estimate
Follow the evidence yourself. These sources document the achievements and context used here; none is presented as a standardized IQ report.
- David HumeStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Scholarly account of his philosophy and life.
- The Early Mental Traits of Three Hundred Geniuses (Cox, 1926)Stanford University Press, via Internet Archive
The original historiometric study. Cox rated 301 eminent people born 1450 to 1850 from records of their childhood and youth.
- Cox's IQ estimates of 301 eminent geniusesIQ Comparison Site
Secondary tabulation of Cox's corrected estimates, with a version adjusted by about 22 points for the Flynn effect.
What do these scores mean?
See what an IQ of 160, 180 means in percentiles, then browse every famous estimate in one table.
Related famous IQs
- Immanuel Kant IQ160+
- Adam Smith IQ155+
- John Locke IQ155+
- Sigmund Freud IQ140+
- Socrates IQ155+
- Confucius IQ145+
- Plato IQ160+
- Aristotle IQ160+
Signs of High IQ
Traits often discussed alongside high measured IQ:
David Hume: People Also Ask
Was David Hume a genius?+
David's record supports exceptional achievement, but "genius" is not established by an unverified IQ number. Their The Sage archetype, combined with Skepticism and Clarity, is a more useful interpretation of their output.
What personality type was David Hume?+
David fits the The Sage archetype. Key traits include Skepticism, Clarity, and Precocity. This profile helps explain both their strengths and their documented failure modes.
What can we learn from David Hume?+
David's profile teaches that extreme strengths create extreme trade-offs. Their Skepticism and Clarity enabled success but also created recurring friction.
References & Sources
Cox, C. M. (1926). The Early Mental Traits of Three Hundred Geniuses. Stanford University Press.
Simonton, D. K. (2009). Genius 101. Springer Publishing Company.
Cattell, R. B. (1971). Abilities: Their Structure, Growth, and Action. Houghton Mifflin.