David Hume and Justice

David Hume is considered a reputable and influential philosopher whose empirical approach provided a basis for a number of moral principles. Although the complexity of Hume’s expressive nature and intellectual thought is somewhat mindboggling to most readers, the importance of the account of justice can be seen as significant and of relevance to many values and morals in even today’s society. Hume’s discussion of moral virtues in his book An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals addresses the importance of justice in terms that relate to its sole foundation and further exemplification of moral distinctions.

Hume’s account of justice can be perceived as initially complex but when evaluated in a contextual manner, the ideas appear to be less dynamic. The idea of right or wrong merits is originally introduced in Book III of his A Treatise of Human Nature, where he questions why certain actions in a general society produce a satisfaction or a given uneasiness. [1] This idea provides the reader with an initial thought onto the dynamics of the later sections to come. From this, Hume accounts for the first stage in his argument where he states in Section III, Part I of An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals that the sole foundation of justice is public utility. In the same section, Hume states that “reflections on the beneficial consequences of this virtue are the sole foundation of its merit.” [2] He continues to provide a clear example, where society is provided fully with any amount of “external conveniences” or possessions they envision. In a society where all that inhabit it have any essentials they could possibly desire, there would be no need for justice primarily because humans would not have a need to share their...

... middle of paper ...

...ues, ed. Steven M. Cahn and Peter Markie, vol. 5 of Oxford University Pres (New York: Oxford University Pres, 2012), 280.

[2] Hume, David, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, 293

[3] Westphal, Kenneth. 2010. "From ‘Convention’ to ‘Ethical Life’”: Hume’s Theory of Justice in Post-Kantian Perspective." Journal Of Ancient Philosophy 7, no. 1: 105-132. Philosopher's Index, EBSCOhost (accessed March 28, 2012), 111.

[4] Hume, David, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, 295

[5] Hume, David, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, 295

[6] Hume, David, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, 307

[7] Hume, David, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, 306

[8] Krause, Sharon. 2004. “Hume and the (False) Luster of Justice”: Political Theory 32, no. 5: 628-655. Philosopher's Index, EBSCOhost (accessed March 29, 2012), 641.