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Hume 1711 - 1776

Hume 1711 - 1776. “ Be a philosopher; but amidst all your philosophy, be still a man. ”. Ethics: The Rule of the Passions -- The Slavery of Reason. Enlightenment philosopher: sees the scientific method as the universal key that will unlock the answers to all problems.

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Hume 1711 - 1776

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  1. Hume1711 - 1776 “Be a philosopher; but amidst all your philosophy, be still a man.”

  2. Ethics: The Rule of the Passions -- The Slavery of Reason • Enlightenment philosopher: sees the scientific method as the universal key that will unlock the answers to all problems

  3. Descriptive Project (rather than Prescriptive) • Describes how moral principles arise and function in human life • Anthropology/Psychology • Derives ethical terms from psychological observations (he makes his case by referring you to your own moral feelings)

  4. How Are We To Analyze Moral Judgments? • Reason is used to discover truth or falsehood. It tells us what is logically necessary and what is contradictory. • Morality: not concerned just with what is true but with what I ought to do

  5. The Smoking Gun • Does Reason produce moral principles by deriving them from matters of fact? • Murder: “Examine it in all lights, and see if you can find that matter of fact, or real existence, which you call vice.” • “You never can find it, till you turn your reflection into your own breast, and find a sentiment of disapprobation [disapproval], which arises in you, towards this action.”

  6. The Source of Morality: Sentiment • It is not derived from deductive or inductive operations of our reason. • It arises from sentiment, feelings or the passions.

  7. Metaphysics/Epistemology • Metaphysics: Virtue & Vice are Natural • Epistemology: Empiricist: moral approval/disapproval can only arise out of our feelings

  8. The Bedrock of Morality: Feelings • How do moral rules arise from this foundation? • Moral rules: 2 Sources 1. Social Utility 2. Sympathy

  9. Social Utility • Utilitarianism • Some moral rules don’t seem to follow natural inclinations • Such Rules are artificial, human inventions that serve everyone’s long-term interests.

  10. Sympathetic BenevolenceMoral Bedrock • Feelings of approval/disapproval • General Benevolence for all humanity • Human experience refutes psychological egoism • Sympathetic Benevolence: can’t be reduced to or explained by any other principle or motive

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