Hume's Rejection Of Virtues

In this paper I will explain the ways in which Hume believes that one can be considered a virtuous or vicious person. I will discuss Hume’s rejection of reason as a guide to determining a virtuous character, the types of people that he believes are to be considered virtuous, and some issues facing Hume’s arguments on those types of people. I will conclude this paper by arguing in support of
Hume is trying to reject the notion that our appraisals of virtue and vice are discoverable by reason. He believes that reason alone is not enough to get someone to perform virtuous acts, and he claims that the attribution of virtue is not guided by morality, but is actually feeling love for someone’s character. Hume believes that, “to have the sense of virtue, is nothing but to feel a satisfaction of a particular kind from the contemplation of a character. The very feeling constitutes our praise or admiration,” (Treatise, III.i.2.3). An action that may appraise a quality of one’s mind as virtuous is one “which causes love or pride,” and one that is considered vicious is one “which causes hatred or humility,” (Treatise, III.iii.1.3). Rather than applying virtue and vice to actions, these qualities are given to peoples’ characters. …show more content…
They way Hume uses sympathy to approve of a character trait is by basing it off of how one’s actions make those around them feel. He says that, “When I perceive the causes of any emotion, my mind is convey’d to the effects, and is actuated with a like emotion,” (Treatise, III.iii.1.7). The phenomena of coming to feel what others feel as an inescapable feature of the human mind, and Hume says, “We are only sensible from [an action’s] causes or effects. From these we infer the passion: And consequently these give rise to our sympathy, (Treatise,