Hume: Vices and Virtues Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems such as those regarding existence, reality, knowledge, values, the human mind and language. “I think, therefore I am” is a famous quotation that attempts to define this study very simply, and the philosopher quoted was Rene Descartes, a 17th century Frenchman who is widely regarded as the Father of Modern Philosophy. David Hume was an 18th century Scotsman who is considered by many to be the most important philosopher ever to write in English. The intention here is to explain Hume’s theory of virtue and vice in the light of his views about practical rationality, which is the use of reason to help one decide how to act. Even though it was customary for lads to attend schools of higher learning at age fourteen in the 18th century, David Hume started college at Edinburgh University before the age of twelve. It was there that he discovered his passion for philosophy. He eventually moved to the same part of France where Descartes studied a century earlier, to pursue more knowledge, and begin writing his own philosophical ideas. His first publication was not well received in Great Britain, but his ideas stirred up enough controversy to fuel his life-long reputation as an atheist. In this first work entitled, A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume concluded that desire, rather than reason governs human behavior whether virtuous or evil. This was in stark contrast to the philosophy of Descartes and other noted philosophical scholars, thereby creating the uphill climb that became necessary for Hume to be taken seriously. His writings concerning religion always seemed to offend some, whether they be Catholic, Protestant or even the Church of Scotland, whos... ... middle of paper ... ...ly when it is committed against parents, especially in cases resulting in parental death. One point Hume makes that is applicable is that all animals are susceptible to the same virtues and vices. The difference is that the human superior ability to think and reason serves to help us distinguish between the two, and by using reason we can solicit praise or blame by our actions. One position Hume makes that has been criticized is that morality is not an object of reason. Using willful murder as an example of a vicious act, nowhere in the examination can you find a matter of fact called vice. You find passions such as anger or jealousy. Motives such as greed can also be identified, but not vice. The facts are the results of feelings, not reason. Vice and virtue, therefore may be compared to temperatures, noises, colors which are all perceptions of the human mind.
From top to bottom, John Stuart Mill put forth an incredible essay depicting the various unknown complexities of morality. He has a remarkable understanding and appreciation of utilitarianism and throughout the essay the audience can grasp a clearer understanding of morality. Morality, itself, may never be totally defined, but despite the struggle and lack of definition it still has meaning. Moral instinct comes differently to everyone making it incredibly difficult to discover a basis of morality. Society may never effectively establish the basis, but Mill’s essay provides people with a good idea.
While Descartes believes that all bad things that happen are actually good if we could just see the bigger picture, Hume says this does not matter. The human and animal mind is not created to think of the bigger picture, it is only able to think about what is right in front of it. So in this aspect, humans and animals are both able to perceive what is right and wrong, therefore supporting Hume’s idea that humans and animals aren’t so different. Despite having polar opposite views, Rene Descartes and David Hume were both very prominent philosophers of their time. They both contemplated the ideas of reasoning within animals and sought to find the truth about the acquisition of knowledge.
... The psychological argument Hume proposes supports his claim, and also suggests the cyclic behavior human beings take. While his philosophical contributions are more extreme than Locke’s, Hume’s definition of liberty and the psychological component to his proposition provide an argument for proving all things are determined, but free will is still possible.
From the distinction of perceptions, Hume created his ‘microscope’ in order to trace all ideas back to impressions. He did this to search for the limits. If an idea could not be traced back to its impression, it was too abstruse. Hume separated the objects of human reason into two categories. First, the relation of ideas, which represented all that is ‘a priori’. Secondly, he created the category of matters of fact. Matters of fact made up the ‘a posteriori’ piece of the spectrum of reason. Matters of fact are contingent, meaning they could be otherwise.
Before Hume can begin to explain what morality is, he lays down a foundation of logic to build on by clarifying what he thinks the mind is. Hume states that the facts the mind sees are just the perceptions we have of things around us, such as color, sound, and heat (Hume, 215). These perceptions can be divided into the two categories of ideas and impressions (215). Both of these categories rely on reason to identify and explain what is observed and inferred. However, neither one of these sufficiently explains morality, for to Hume, morals “. . .excite passions, and produce or prevent actions” (216)....
Hume draws this distinction in recognizing further our own subjective and objective world. In this, through our own personal experience we associate certain facts with moral judgments and values. For example, there may be the fact that the sun will rise tomorrow. However, we place a judgment whether we dislike or like the sun rising tomorrow. Hume has merely recognized the distinction between the fact (sun) and values (likes/dislikes) of the sun. Hume’s link between facts and values was a push to further understand moral philosophy and our understanding of it.
... Hume proposes attributes a sense of moral responsibility lost in Hume’s interpretation for the doctrine of liberty and necessities, for humans are responsible only for their choices.
Hume's writing posed an interesting starting off point for Kant's theories. As said before, Kant attributes Hume's writing with waking him from his "dogmatic slumber." He recognizes both Hume's intelligence and the validity of his statements. However, he does n...
In this essay Hume creates the true judges who are required to have: delicacy of taste, practice in a specific art of taste, be free from prejudice in their determinations, and good sense to guide their judgments. In Hume’s view the judges allow for reasonable critiques of objects. Hume also pointed out that taste is not merely an opinion but has some physical quality which can be proved. So taste is not a sentiment but a determination. What was inconsistent in the triad of commonly held belief was that all taste is equal and so Hume replaced the faulty assumption with the true judges who can guide society’s sentiments.
Hume. David, (1997-2001). Philosophy Pages: from Garth Kimerling. [Abstract]. Hume: Morality and Religion Retrieved November 01, 200 from the World Wide Web: http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/4v.htm#morality
From 1734 to 1737 Hume was busy writing his book, A Treatise of Human Nature, which talked about the problems of thoughtful philosophy (Hampshire 105). However, the public ignored this important piece of work making Hume feel like he was "dead-born." After this horrible reaction to A Treatise of Human Nature Hume went back home where he started thinking more about ethics and political economy. Along with these thoughts Hume wrote books expressing how he felt about these subjects (Snyder34). Essay Moral and Political was one book that enclosed an essay written by Hume dealing with ethics and political economy. Hume felt that ethical thinking was the idea of knowing right from wrong and comes about from ones own self-happiness. Benevolence was the biggest moral good as far as Hume was concerned. The unselfish understanding of anybody or anything's general welfare was very important to David Hume. Aside from that, Hume also had a great influence in the development of skepticism and empiricism, which are two schools of philosophy (Snyder 45).
Hume gives five considerations to the roles of reason and sentiment within the confines of moral motivation. These considerations are his premises for the final supposition which links sentiment and morality immaculately together, and rejects reason as a plausible explanation form oral motivation. His first consideration allows for reason to be presumed true, as the causation of moral motivation. It follows however that reason “judges either matter of fact or of relations. (Hume 84) When considering the moral crime of ingratitude as Hume does, it seems foolhardy to relate ingratitude with a matter of fact, and when I speak of matter of fact I imply the likes of the geometry, chemistry, algebra etc. A matter of fact that can be proven true or false and will always be true and false and can be learned by a leaner and taught by a teacher (though ingratitude might be taught and learned I suppose. Ingratitude is certainly not a matter of fact then, and so it must be discounted because it “arises from complication of circumstances w...
Judgments of the heart between good and evil, right and wrong that is moralities purest form. Morality is a misleading mistress because, whatever is decided as moral and immoral can be just as easily justified as the opposite in a new era. Many with a rationalist view will describe morality as a virtue which allows for laws and justice to take place. An immoral action is an action taken through the perpetrator believing they will receive no punishment. A question is then presented why are there such distinct classifications of morality and immorality? Glaucon wants to prove that men are only moral so that justice will be had for them if something immoral or unjust is done unto them. He also wants establish that the origin of morality is not found in man themselves but in the fact they do not want immoral or unjust crimes committed against them. He tries to provide adequate instances, but the most preferred method for choosing any action moral or immoral is by using different instances in history with the same information. As well, Glaucon also wants to prove that an immoral life is better than a moral. He provides few examples to support his theories toward Socrates during their battle of wits. While I understand his theories I choose to disagree because there are underlining circumstances that show why a man may choose to be immoral. And in many instances those choices are not selected by preference but by necessity. I agree with Glaucon to the extent that wealth and power tend to lead individuals to immoral actions, but I disagree that this observation applies to all individuals if they were to face the same obstacles. Morality is based upon will and desire. In Plato’s recount of the argument I receive the implication that each...
Hume believes that there is no concept of self. That each moment we are a new being since nothing is constant from one moment to the next. There is no continuous “I” that is unchanging from one moment to the next. That self is a bundle of perceptions and emotions there is nothing that forms a self-impression which is essential to have an idea of one self. The mind is made up of a processions of perceptions.
In David Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature, he divides the virtues of human beings into two types: natural and artificial. He argues that laws are artificial and a human invention. Therefore, he makes the point that justice is an artificial virtue instead of a natural virtue. He believed that human beings are moral by nature – they were born with some sense of morality and that in order to understand our “moral conceptions,” studying human psychology is the key (Moehler). In this paper, I will argue for Hume’s distinction between the natural and artificial virtues.