- Hume sets out the project of An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals in Section I. Explain your understanding of this project as if to someone outside the class who is unfamiliar with this material. Imagine, for example, your sharpest college friend as your reader.
It’s important to understand David Hume’s background in efforts to synthesize what he presents to us in his project, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals. Born in 1711 in Scotland, David Humes showed a genuine interest in literature and later in life an interest in philosophy. He drew inspiration for this enquiry from other prominent philosophers. More specifically, moral secular philosophers. Thomas Hobbes, Frances Hutcheson, and Joseph Butler above everyone, distinctive philosophies are challenged, refuted, praised, evidence, support, or a mix of one another for Humes project,
In contrast to Hobbes, Hutcheson, and most of Butler’s religious philosophy about human morality and its ties to a higher deity, Hume meticulously suggests a convincing argument as to why the human world could be explained by working feelings and not just reasoning. Although Hume could have simply prefaced and written a further detailed argument that would have appealed to a select group of scholars, from the project’s fruition, Hume wanted his philosophy to attract the masses. To do so in an effective manner, Hume skillfully embeds the opposition to rebuttal the drawing conclusions about mortality based on religion, all the while- strengthening his own outlook.
In short, spending years and years of reflection, critical thinking and ongoing contemplation, this project spells out Hume’s philosophy on moral reason in detail. Organized in various parts, the first three focus on ambiguous but nonetheless integral subjects of mortality. Social virtues, benevolence and justice, difficult areas to dissect nonetheless, arguably reduce to be understood, Hume writes about them while inviting his readers to comprehensive self-reflection.
2. What good is benevolence? Or if you prefer: why is benevolence good?
From my understanding, Hume defined benevolence as a term society attaches to the goodwill of mankind. In other words, it is the highest merit in which we praise people for their goodness and virtue. Although, I think Humes describes benevolence in a positive light, he disagrees to the extent in which the goodness of people becomes associated with a higher divine. Furthermore, rather than think that benevolence roots from a spiritual idea, people practice benevolence because it plays a huge role in people’s happiness. And as we know, Humes’ philosophy extracts from this idea that morality depends on people’s happiness.
Additionally, according to Hume, benevolence only works when and if it’s beneficial to people. As Hume states, “when we recommend even an animal or plant as useful or beneficial, we give it applause and recommendation suited to its nature. As on the other, reflection on the baneful influence of any of these inferior beings always inspires us with the sentiment of aversion” (An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, 18). Ultimately, we only attribute something like plants that grow food or a cow that produces adequate milk to benevolence because it benefits us. Alternatively, we ridicule something like poisonous plants or non-lactating cows, due to its ineffectiveness and lack of benefit for people.
3. What about justice?
Hume divided his opinion on justice into two parts. Out of the three subjects, justice left me the most confused. I understood that Hume concludes that equal distribution of goods and wealth amongst everyone will do more harm than good. For example, when one eliminates inequality, Hume believed “you reduce society to the most extreme indigence; and instead of preventing want and beggary in a few; rendering it unavoidable to the whole community” (An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, 28). In other words, it is best to focus on creating rules and laws that are most beneficial instead of basing rules and laws off that pose more threats down the road than improvements.
