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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...
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...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.
... and wrong. While Descartes believes that all bad things that happen were 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.
In David Hume’s of Liberty and Necessity he creates an argument based on the ideology of determinism and free will. As two rather contrasting concepts, he boils down his reasoning into to two simple words, liberty and necessity. Hume considers necessity as a constant conjunction of similar objects or in other words, a theory of causation that tells whenever one event occurs, so will the other. He then identifies liberty as the power to act or decide not to act with reference to free will.
Take any vicious action: Willful murder, for instance. Examine it in all lights, and see if you can find that matter of fact, or real existence, which you call vice. In which-ever way you take it, you find only certain passions, motives, violations and thoughts. There is no other matter of fact in that case. The vice entirely escapes you, as long as you consider the object. You can never find it, till you turn your reflection into your own breast, and find a sentiment of disapprobation, which arises in you, toward this action. Here is a matter of fact; but it is the object of feeling, not reason. (Hume, 2014)
Hume’s ultimate goal in his philosophic endeavors was to undermine abstruse Philosophy. By focusing on the aspect of reason, Hume shows there are limitations to philosophy. Since he did not know the limits, he proposed to use reason to the best of his ability, but when he came to a boundary, that was the limit. He conjectured that we must study reason to find out what is beyond the capability of reason.
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...
Megan Darnley PHIL-283 May 5, 2014 Compatibilism and Hume. The choices an individual makes are often believed to be by their own doing; there is nothing forcing one action to be done in lieu of another, and the responsibility of one’s actions is on him alone. This idea of Free Will, supported by libertarians and is the belief one is entirely responsible for their own actions, is challenged by necessity, otherwise known as determinism. Those championing determinism argue every action and event is because of some prior cause.
... 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.
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'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...
Hume, David. “A Treatise of Human Nature. Excerpts from Book III. Part I. Sect. I-II.”
Hume believes that we cannot rely on everyone doing what is his or her own best self-interest. Therefore, artificial values are put into place to keep the system from collapsing. This in turn puts a cooperative scheme in society. This leads to the Hume’s assumption that fairness is an artificial virtue. He is sometimes also presented as a contractarian; in a more specific sense, a proto-utilitarian. According to which, he judges an action based on whether the action makes you happy or sad.
David Hume's greatest influences were British philosophers John Locke and Bishop George Berkeley. Hume was able to find the differences in reason and sensation just like Berkeley, but Hume took his findings to another level. Hume was able to prove that reason and rational judgment are nothing more than usual associations of an individual's prior knowledge. (Hampshire, 115) David Hume contributed many excellent points and ideas about ethics, political economy, skepticism and empiricism, and wrote many good pieces of literature about his idea...
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.
Like John Locke, Hume believed that at birth people were a blank slate in terms of mental perception but his perspective was that humans do have one advantage: reason. Hume believed that everyone has the ability to reason with the natural order of the world and that it is this ability that separates us from other animals. However, Hume argues “against the rationalists that, although reason is needed to discover the facts of any concrete situation and the general social impact of a trait of character or a practice over time, reason alone is insufficient to yield a judgment that something is virtuous or vicious” (Hume’s Moral Philosophy). It is this distinction that separates him from some of his compatriots in terms of what he considers to be the drive of the whole of