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Hume's Argument Of Morality

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In the following essay, I will be assessing Hume’s argument that morality is based on sentiment and giving examples to help illustrate that point of view. Along with Hume’s main argument, I will also discuss possible counter-arguments that could arise based on the beliefs of Immanuel Kant, a philosopher who lived at the same time as Hume, but had very opposing views on morality. David Hume, an 18th century Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist is known best for his bold skeptical approach to a range of philosophical subjects. Being a skeptic, he questioned common knowledge and even argued that there is no true and permanent “self”. He states that it is an illusion created by our unfounded trust in cause and effect. Hume’s
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Critiques of Kantian moral philosophy on the basis of emptiness come from a variety of thinkers and from many different schools of thought. For example, Mill claims the universal law permits commonly immoral behavior and can only become consistent by resorting to Utilitarianism. ‘ ‘All he shows is that the consequences of their universal adoption would be such as no one would choose to incur’’ (Mill.Uti.162). Mill criticizes Kant for failing to identify ‘‘the actual duties of morality’’ (Mill.

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Hume's

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When it comes to Hume’s theories, specifically the principles of ideas, we can evaluate them based on their identities. Out of the three associative principles, “causation is the strongest and the only one that takes us beyond our senses” (Morris and Charlotte). Causation establishes a link between the present and the past and this can be compared to the relation between the cause and effect. Hume tries to show the ways we associate ideas, and the reasons why it’s supposed to stay that way. He doesn’t focus on explaining why we do it this way, he automatically assumes that humans understand this concept.

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776 Words | 4 Pages

The clergy’s actions during the first scaffold scene demonstrate the hypocrisy of Hume’s idea of suspension of justice regarding the sinner. Upon being coerced into extorting Hester’s repentance, the young minister beseeches her to “name thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer... What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him--yea, compel him, as it were--to add hypocrisy to sin?” (Hawthorne, Ch. 3). Although equally guilty, Dimmesdale’s position within the theocracy enables him to transfer the responsibility of confessing to his lover.

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Hume has failed to take a few things into account. The first of this would be concerning reasoning backing up your morality. As we all have grownup, we are often told to not do things such as do not smoke or do not steal etc and when we ask why not to, we are told simply because it is bad. For those people who remain in question about why smoking is bad and who are maybe standing on the fence between doing it and not doing it is where I feel reason comes into play. We are then shown facts that say “Smoking is bad because x…y…z…” which then solidify our reasoning and backs up our morality.

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Evan Bakker Prof. Cole Philosophy 1CH 15 May 2015 Honors Ethics Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher who lived 1724-1804, and John Stuart Mill, a British philosopher who lived 1806-1873, were two of the greatest moral philosophers of all time. Mill presents and defends the moral theory of Utilitarianism while Kant rejects that theory and defends his own moral theory. Kant explains and defends his claims in a selection titled “The Good Will and The Categorical Imperative,” and Mill in the first two chapters in his selection titled “Utilitarianism.” Both philosophers have opposing viewpoints on whether or not an agent’s motive affects the moral worth of an action. Kant’s view proposes that an agent’s motive does affect the moral worth of his or her action, and Mill’s view proposes that an agent’s motive does not affect the moral worth of his or her action.

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377 Words | 2 Pages

David Hume argues against Plato’s theory of motivation by opposing reasons use. Plato argues that reason is one of the three parts of the soul that motivates our decisions. He justifies this by asserting that we undergo internal conflict when making decisions, and that the same thing cannot undergo contraries at the same time. If this is true we must be composed of different motivational parts. Hume acknowledges this by saying “Nothing is more usual in philosophy, and even in common life, than to talk of the combat of passion and reason”.

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In contrast, Hume addresses the effects of “externals” on human feelings. Things Epictetus suggested we should suppress. Hume states, “Good and ill, both natural and moral, are entirely relative to human sentiment and affection. No man would ever be unhappy, could he alter his feelings…but of this resource nature has, in a great measure, deprived us” (Hume 345-346). Since Hume considers the humanistic characteristics in his philosophical view, he emphasizes the utility of knowledge rather than its accuracy and he suggests that experience is first influenced by feelings rather than thought.

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Hume seems to attempt to assert three points in his argument. First, he voices that extreme skepticism should not be utilized, but moderate skepticism can be useful, if not unavoidable. Secondly, Hume suggests all things besides quantity and number are subject to skepticism, and/or reasoning, which may be false. Finally, he concludes by distinguishing between faith and reasoning (radical for the time): beliefs are more strongly felt than perceived.

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As an individual sits in the salon with their cup of coffee, will each sip raise qualitative questions about their innate principles? By becoming indulgent towards well known statements, individuals extol them too highly causing these statements to become extraneous. If individuals divert their attention from the true meaning of these tenets, these morals should not be labeled as “innate.” Because these principles are known to be universal, individuals blindly accept them; however, what if everything they believed was untrue? Should an individual live by a set of fabrications?

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M. A. Stewart, in his article on Hume in the Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment, notes that Hume’s family had “connections to the law”. Later, Stewart tells us that Hume, while studying at the University of Edinburgh, developed precocious interests outside the “pressure to adopt a legal

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Thesis Statement: Origin of Morality Outline A.Universal Ethics 1.Karl Barth, The Command of God 2.Thomas Aquinas, The Natural Law 3.Thomas Hobbes, Natural Law and Natural Right 4.Immanuel Kant, The Categorical Imperative B.Morality and Practical Reason 1.Practical Reason a.Practical Reason and Practical Reasons C.Evolution of Morality 1.What makes Moral Creatures Moral 2.Explaining the Nature of Moral Judgments F. Answering Questions 1. What is the origin of Morality: Religion or Philosophy? 2. What does religion say about morality?

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In “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding” David Hume talks about two kind of human reasoning, relations of ideas and Matters of fact. According to Hume, all the objects of human reason or inquiry naturally divided into two categories. Relations of ideas are thing that we can know by just thinking or knowing the meaning of the words, on the other hand, matters of fact are the opposite. He also point out the problem of induction, we are justified in using our experience of the past as evidence of what will happen in the future which is known as causation. If human reason are not relations of ideas or matters of fact, he says they are nonsense.

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1325 Words | 6 Pages

Many great minds in the history of the world tried to find the “birth” of morality; its development and its own place in the world. People provided tons of theories and lots of conjectures and still have not come to the exact theory about the origin of moral ideas. However, there are some theories which are close to the truth and are based on Immanuel Kant’s “Categorical Imperative”, Edward Osborne Wilson’s “The Biological Basis of Morality” and on Andres Luco’s work “The Definition of Morality: Threading the Needle”. Their theories differ from each other, however, in some places they share the same position on morality. This paper closely examines their theories from a various perspectives and answers to the question of where the origin of

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807 Words | 4 Pages

Hume is known for his dominant systems of philosophical empiricism, skepticism, and naturalism. David Hume considered his self to be a moralist. Moralist however, can be considered as a person that teaches or promotes morality (Britannica, 2017). David views on Altruism and Self-interest was that we as humans care about the welfare far of others than of our own. He also stated that we have social sentiments, which basically means a particular feeling that connects other people to care about others welfare.

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