Jeffrey Bell argues that Deleuze's early work on Hume was instrumental to Deleuze's formulation of the problems and concepts central to his corpus. By reading Deleuze's work in light of Hume's influence, and by bringing in the philosophy of William James, Henri Bergson, and others, Bell vigorously defends Deleuze against recent criticism and shows how the philosopher clarifies and contributes to the work being done in political theory, cultural studies, and history--particularly the history of the Scottish Enlightenment. By comparing Deleuze's thought to the work of Hume, Bell exemplifies the continuing relevance of the thought of both intellectuals to a number of contemporary debates.