'Morality, therefore, is more properly felt than judg'd of'. How does Hume reach this conclusion? Do you accept his argument?

Authors Avatar

                

Tutorial Essay Question One

Write an essay of not more than 1,000 words in answer to one of the following questions.  The essay is to be handed in at the next tutorial.

  1. ‘Morality, therefore, is more properly felt than judg’d of’.  How does Hume reach this conclusion?  Do you accept his argument?

  1. How does the is-ought gap relate to Hume’s attack on those who think reason is the basis of moral distinctions?

Reading: Hume, D. A Treatise of Human Nature, Book III, Part 1, Sections 1 and 2.


‘Morality, therefore, is more properly felt than judg’d of’.  How does Hume reach this conclusion?  Do you accept his argument?

In his Treatise of Human Nature, David Hume outlines his theory of human morality. Hume’s argument is that human morality is not based on rational thought and reason, but rather is a consequence of our passions. Due to the fact that passions themselves can never present themselves as the product of any sort of reasoning, it would be illogical to ever judge a moral action as rational or irrational.

The basic premise of Hume’s argument on morality is simply that our actions are not governed by reason, but rather by passion, or, as Hume states, “that reason alone can never be a motive to any action of the will; and secondly, that it can never oppose passion in the direction of the will.” “Reason…” according to Hume, “…is the discovery of truth or falshood. Truth or falshood consists in an agreement or disagreement either to the real relations of ideas, or to real existence and matter of fact.”

Join now!

Hume states, “Since morals, therefore, have an influence on the actions and affections, it follows, that they cannot be deriv’d from reason; and that because reason alone, as we have already prov’d, can never have any such influence. Morals excite passions, and produce or prevent actions. Reason of itself is utterly impotent in this particular. The rules of morality; therefore, are not conclusions of our reason.”  Hume concludes that since it is morality that motivates us towards actions, and not reason, then morality cannot be a result of some rational decision making that occurs in our minds, but is ...

This is a preview of the whole essay