Hume's Wide Construal of the Virtues

In this essay, the author

• Analyzes hume's wide construal of the virtues and concludes that he could have used his own account of instinctive vengeance as an indicator for distinguishing between important and unimportant vices.
• Analyzes how hume's analysis of the virtues departs from the tradition of morally good character traits such as benevolence, charity, honesty, wisdom, and honor.
• Concludes that hume could have used his own account of instinctive vengeance as a natural indicator distinguishing between important and unimportant vices.
• Analyzes hume's argument that the distinction between natural abilities and moral virtues is unfounded since both groups elicit the same sympathetic moral feelings in the spectator.
• Analyzes how hume suggests that the precise feelings elicited in the spectator designate two separate classes, and that natural abilities are involuntary whereas moral virtues are the result of free will.
• Analyzes how hume's moral theory appeared with much greater success in his enquiry concerning the principles of morals (1751).
• Explains that every attribute of the mind renders a man an object either of esteem and affection, or of hatred and contempt; every habit or sentiment or faculty implies praise or blame, and may enter into any panegyric or satire of his character and manners.
• Argues that virtues fall into at least one of four categories according to the consequences they produce. personal merit is the possession of mental qualities, useful or agreeable to oneself or others.
• Analyzes how hume boldly applies the enquiry to as many mental attributes of an agent as he can. he argues that elaborate ethical systems have perverted our natural understanding.
• Opines that hume's broad understanding of virtues came in a private correspondence from francis hutcheson in 1739, from whom he solicited comments on book iii of the treatise.
• Analyzes how hume argues that calling virtues follows a common use of language, especially when considering the way classical writers such as cicero used the term.
• Explains that critics attacked the broad understanding of the virtues contained in the enquiry. the anonymous pamphlet examined the foundations of morality.
• Analyzes how hume's "notion" is that whatever, in character or conduct, is approved as useful, and thus, by reducing morality into the same class in which we place some trifling qualities, destroys moral distinctions altogether.
• Analyzes how argues that hume distinguishes between a spectator's pleasure and that resulting from inanimate objects.
• Explains that james balfour made a similar attack in his anonymously published a delineation of the nature and obligation of morality.
• Explains that humanity has paved the way to enrich mankind with the possession of a thousand virtues that were never once dreamt of before. strange morality extends itself to inanimate things.
• Analyzes how balfour misunderstood hume by accusing him of extending virtue to inanimate objects.
• Analyzes how john leland continued the assault in volume two of his a view of the principal deistical writers.
• Analyzes how leland takes hume to task for the unnecessary attributes he includes under the heading of virtue, and for leaving out key christian virtues, such as humility.
• Opines that justice, humanity, generosity, excite approbation; a handsome face excites apprehending; and great genius excrement. the effect or sentiment produced is the same in each instance.
• Opines that beattie's approbation of a fine face is different in kind from her one of great genius.
• Analyzes how the wide construal of the virtues in hume's moral theory was attacked not only in philosophical works, but also in biographical sketches.
• Analyzes how our author's definition of virtue is very singular. it is the possession of useful or agreeable qualities to ourselves or others.
• Analyzes how the attacks demonstrate a dissatisfaction with hume's failure to distinguish between natural abilities and moral virtues.
• Analyzes hume's defense for construing the virtues so widely. he suggests possible points of distinction, such as voluntary and involuntary, social and private, moral and intellectual
• Argues that hume's second argument is based on our broad usage of ethical language, particularly the moral injunctions that are used in reference to moral virtues as well as natural abilities.
• Opines that hume's wide construal of virtues was controversial, but contemporary scholars don't address the issue. ardal and mackie agree that no clear-cut criterion to distinguish the specifically moral is in use.
• Analyzes mackie's suggestion that virtues are dispositions which we choose to cultivate, often for reasons of social pressure or from many other motives.
• Analyzes hume's apparent success at deflecting the charges of critics, but one might still contend that the two groups of character traits do differ significantly in kind.
• Explains that hume's inclination to punish is specific to agents' provoking action and not merely a reaction we have against enemies in general.
• Opines that when they receive any injury from another, they feel a violent passion of resentment, which makes them desire his evil and punishment, independent of all considerations of pleasure and advantage to themselves.
• Explains that an agent's character trait is a moral vice only if it produces feelings of moral pain in the spectator and incites their desire for punishment.
• Opines that hume did not choose to distinguish between moral virtues and natural abilities for whatever reason. had he adopted it, his moral theory would have stood pretty much as it is now.
• Describes hume's definition of approving sentiments of moral pleasure in a spectator, citing foot and selby-bigge.
• Analyzes how william rose's review of hume’s moral enquiry emphasizes his broad understanding of the virtues.
• Analyzes some late opinions concerning the foundations of morality examined.
• Analyzes james balfour's a delineation of the nature and obligation of morality with reflexions upon mr. hume’s book.
• Reviews james balfour's a delineation... in the monthly review, 1753, vol. 8, pp. 364-372, and john leland, a view of the principal deistical writers.
• Analyzes james beattie's essay on the nature and immutability of truth in opposition to sophistry and scepticism.