Abstract
I found that the moral Philosophy transmitted to us by Antiquity, labor'd under the same Inconvenience that has been found in their natural Philosophy, of being entirely Hypothetical, & depending more upon Invention than Experience. Every one consulted his Fancy in erecting Schemes of Virtue & of Happiness, without regarding human Nature, upon which every moral Conclusion must depend. This therefore I resolved to make my principal Study, & the Source from which I wou'd derive every Truth in Criticism as well as Morality. (KHL) Of “late years” there has been, Hume wrote in his Treatise of Human Nature, a controversy that has “so much excited the curiosity of the publick, whether these moral distinctions be founded on natural and original principles, or arise from interest and education” Those who adopted the second of these views-those who traced the alleged distinction between virtue and vice to self-interest and education - had claimed, as Hume puts it, that itself has no foundation in nature but is, rather, founded merely on the pain or pleasure that arises from considerations of self-interest. In contrast, those who ranged themselves on the other side of this issue - those who said that moral distinctions are founded on natural and original principles - claimed that morality is something real, essential, and founded on nature (T 2.1.7, 295-6).
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call