Hume: Moral Philosophy

"A genuine understanding of Hume's extraordinarily rich, important, and influential moral philosophy requires familiarity with all of his writings on vice and virtue, the passions, the will, and even judgments of beauty—and that means familiarity not only with large portions of A Treatise of Human Nature, but also with An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals and many of his essays as well.  This volume is the one truly comprehensive collection of Hume's work on all of these topics.  Geoffrey Sayre-McCord, a leading moral philosopher and Hume scholar, has done a meticulous job of editing the texts and has provided an extensive Introduction that is at once accessible, accurate, and philosophically engaging, revealing the deep structure of Hume's moral philosophy."
     —Don Garrett, New York University

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26177g

David Hume
Edited, with Introduction, by Geoffrey Sayre-McCord

2006 - 448 pp.

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Cloth 978-0-87220-600-7
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"A genuine understanding of Hume's extraordinarily rich, important, and influential moral philosophy requires familiarity with all of his writings on vice and virtue, the passions, the will, and even judgments of beauty—and that means familiarity not only with large portions of A Treatise of Human Nature, but also with An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals and many of his essays as well.  This volume is the one truly comprehensive collection of Hume's work on all of these topics.  Geoffrey Sayre-McCord, a leading moral philosopher and Hume scholar, has done a meticulous job of editing the texts and has provided an extensive Introduction that is at once accessible, accurate, and philosophically engaging, revealing the deep structure of Hume's moral philosophy."
     —Don Garrett, New York University

 

Contents:

Acknowledgments.
Hume's Moral Philosophy: An Introduction.
Note on the Texts.
Select Bibliography.

My Own Life.

Letter from Adam Smith, LL.D. to William Strahan, Esq.

A Treatise of Human Nature:
    
Book II: Of the Passions:
          Part I: Of Pride and Humility
               Section I. Division of the subject
               Section II. Of pride and humility; their objects and causes   
               Section III. Whence these objects and causes are deriv'd   
               Section IV. Of the relations of impressions and ideas
               Section V. Of the influence of these relations on pride and humility   
               Section VI. Limitations of this system
               Section VII. Of vice and virtue
               Section XI. Of the love of fame
          Part II: Of Love and Hatred
               Section I. Of the objects and causes of love and hatred
               Section II. Experiments to confirm this system
               Section III. Difficulties solv'd
          Part III: Of the Will and Direct Passions
               Section I. Of liberty and necessity  
               Section II. The same subject continu'd
               Section III. Of the influencing motives of the will
     Book III: Of Morals
          Part I: Of Virtue and Vice in General
               Section I. Moral distinctions not deriv'd from reason
               Section II. Moral distinctions deriv'd from a moral sense   
          Part II: Of Justice and Injustice
               Section I. Justice, whether a natural or artificial virtue?
               Section II. Of the origin of justice and property
               Section III. Of the rules, which determine property
               Section IV. Of the transference of property by consent
               Section V. Of the obligation of promises 
               Section VI. Some farther reflections concerning justice and injustice   
               Section VII. Of the origin of government   
               Section VIII. Of the source of allegiance
               Section IX. Of the measures of allegiance
               Section X. Of the objects of allegiance
               Section XI. Of the laws of nations
               Section XII. Of chastity and modesty
          Part III: Of the Other Virtues and Vices
               Section I. Of the origin of the natural virtues and vices
               Section II. Of greatness of mind
               Section III. Of goodness and benevolence
               Section IV. Of natural abilities
               Section V. Some farther reflections concerning the natural virtues   
               Section VI. Conclusion of this book   

An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals
    
Section I. Of the General Principles of Morals
     Section II. Of Benevolence
     Section III. Of Justice
     Section IV. Of Political Society
     Section V. Why Utility Pleases
     Section VI. Of Qualities Useful to Ourselves
     Section VII. Of Qualities Immediately Agreeable to Ourselves
     Section VIII. Of Qualities Immediately Agreeable to Others
     Section IX. Conclusion
     Appendix I. Concerning Moral Sentiment
     Appendix II. Of Self-Love
     Appendix III. Some Farther Considerations with Regard to Justice   
     Appendix IV. Of Some Verbal Disputes
     A Dialogue

Essays: Moral, Political, and Literary
    
Essay I. Of the Delicacy of Taste and Passion
     Essay II. Of the Origin of Government  
     Essay III. Of the Dignity or Meanness of Human Nature
     Essay IV. Of Civil Liberty
     Essay V. The Sceptic
     Essay VI. Of the Standard of Taste
     Essay VII. Of the Original Contract
     Essay VIII. Of Suicide

Index.

 

About the Author:

Geoffrey Sayre-McCord is Professor of Philosophy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.