I think one of the most fundamental points that Hume explains is the following: “moral conduct does not spring from conclusions of reason or the understand and that reason is incapable of drawing moral conclusions.” He believes that this reaction can only be done through an internal sense. He also explains how the investigation of human nature rests on the factual inquiry of orgin of morals.
Hume believes that benevolence is a part of human nature that promotes the basic human goods A point that is relevant is that Hume believes that benevolence is both universal “in persons and universally approved by impartial inquirers.” Similar to benevolence, which Hume believes is approved primarily because of its social utility, justice is approved “exclusively because of their social utility. It is important to note that necessity of rules of justice is needed, but that they differ from culture to culture. He also points out that justice is necessary because conflict is inevitable.
I think that I understand the broad concepts. Hume thinks that all people have an internal sense (which he names as sympathy) that allows for people to cooperate. For example, even if you do not know people in your study group, you can understand how people work and understand cultural norms well enough to function. People have a common sense that is similar to a conscious without a religious connotation. Also, justice, something that was not naturally made (it was constructed over time by humans out of necessity) helps the formation of societies. In this sense, I feel like philosophy and sociology have a lot in common. They both try and explain how people and their communities function; therefore, all findings are relevant and help people better adapt to their surroundings.
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I think you really hit on what Hume was saying. (Your explanation helped me gain a better understanding, for sure.) I think Hume's intent is to prove this connection between between social application and virtue theory. What I'm still wondering is: if justice is a component for the foundation of societies, why is our world so unjust in so many places? Where did society go wrong?
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