An Inquiry Concerning the Principles of MoralsSympathy, we shall allow, is much fainter than our concern for ourselves, and sympathy with persons remote from us much fainter than that with persons near and contiguous; but for this very reason it is necessary for us, in our calm judgments and discourse concerning the characters of men, to neglect all these differences and render our sentiments more public and social.-from "Why Utility Pleases"David Hume may well be the most significant philosopher ever to write in the English language: his arguments dramatically influenced both scientific and religious thinking, and much of what he wrote-particular concerning free will, political theory, and religion-still sounds startlingly modern. Hume himself called this "incomparably the best" of all his many writings. First published in 1751, it is an astonishing consideration of source and value of the feelings, thoughts, and actions we call "morality," and it is required reading for anyone who calls himself educated.AUTHOR BIO: Scottish philosopher, historian, and essayist DAVID HUME (1711-1776) also wrote A Treatise of Human Nature (1739-1740) and Enquiry's Concerning Human Understanding (1748). |
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able actions advantage affection allowed appear approbation arises beauty behaviour beneficial benevolence blame censure cerning character chiefly Cicero ciety circumstances civil civil laws common concerning conduct connexions consequences consider considerable contempt contrary courage degree Demosthenes desire distinction enjoyment enquiry entirely Epaminondas Epictetus equal eral esteem extremely feel former fortune foundation friendship give good-will happiness heart honour human nature hypothesis imagination immediately agreeable indifferent influence instance intercourse interests of society Iphicrates judgement justice justly kind laws lence mankind manner ment mind misery moral sentiment natural justice necessity never object observe origin ourselves panegyric particular passions pernicious philosophers Phocion Plato pleasure Plutarch Polybius positive laws possessed praise present principles public utility purpose qualities reason reflection regard relations render requisite rules says seems self-love selfish sense sensible sions social virtues species sufficient suppose sympathy temper tendency theory Thucydides tion vice vidual views καὶ
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Page 7 - ... enter into his own breast for a moment, and consider whether or not he should desire to have this or that quality ascribed to him, and whether such or such an imputation would proceed from a friend or an enemy. The very nature of language guides us almost infallibly...
Page 8 - The only object of reasoning is to discover the circumstances on both sides, which are common to these qualities; to observe that particular in which the estimable qualities agree on the one hand, and the blameable on the other; and thence to reach the foundation of ethics, and find those universal principles, from which all censure or approbation is ultimately derived.