Ethics

Ethics Study Guide By drawing a parallel with virtue ethics, communitarianismpoints to where morality should be found as opposed to what it actually consists of. It leaves us void of distinguishing moral standards against which a community can be measured. David Hume Many regard David Hume as a political conservative , sometimes calling him the first conservative philosopher. This is not entirely accurate, if the term conservative is understood in anymodern sense. His thoughts contained elements that are, in modern terms, both conservative and liberal, as well as ones that were both contractarian and utilitarian. Hume’s conservatism bases moral and social order on human nature and common life rather than supernatural forces. David Hume’s views on human action and motivation defined the cornerstone of his ethical theory. He conceived moral or ethical sentiments to be either intrinsically motivating or the providers of reasons for action. Considering that one cannot be motivated by reason alone and that passions were requisite, Hume argued that reason cannot be behind morality. The is-ought problem , (also known as Hume’s guillotine ) was articulated by Hume, who noted that many writers define what ought to be , on the foundation of statements surrounding what is . There seems to be a significant difference between descriptive statements (about what is ) and prescriptive statements (about what ought to be ). Hume is famous for his position that we cannot derive ought from is. This is the view that statements of moral obligation cannot simply be deduced from statements of fact. For many, Hume’s question is unanswerable. However, there are a few arguments that have been proposed that claim to show that an ought can actually be derived from an is . One such argument was designed by John Searle. His argument tried to show that the act of making a promise, by definition, places one under an obligation, and that any such obligation is equivalent to an ought . For Hume, following the rules of the moral community is an essential aspect of morality. Hume thought that what motivates us to action is passion, not reason. Hume’s theory says that an act is good only if it is done from a virtuous motive--a motive, that is, that would be approved by an impartial observer. Hume concludes that there are four irreducible categories of qualities that exhaustively constitute moral virtue: 1. Qualities useful to others, such as benevolence, meekness, charity, justice, fidelity, and veracity. 2. Qualities useful to oneself, such as industry, perseverance, and patience. 3. Qualities immediately agreeable to others, such as wit, eloquence, and cleanliness. 4. Qualities immediately agreeable to oneself, such as good humor, self-esteem, and pride. For Hume, most morally significant actions are ones that fall into more than one of these categories. ©2018 Achieve Page 40 of 116