It is widely supposed that Hume (1711-1776) invented and espoused the 'regularity' theory of causation, holding that causan relations are nothing but a matter of one type of thing being regularly followed by another. It is also widely supposed that he was quite right about this, and that itwas one of his greatest contributions to philosophy. Galen Strawson argues in this book that the regularity theory of causation is indefensible, and that Hume never adopted it in any case. He did not claim that causation in the natural world is just a matter of regular succession. Such a dogmatic metaphysical claim about the nature of reality wouldhave been utterly contrary to his fundamental philosophical principles. He rightly took it for granted that there was more to causation than regularity of succession, and claimed only that regularity of succession was all that we could ever know of causation. Galen Strawson is author of Freedom and Belief (Clarendon Press 1986).