Enquiry on The Principles Of Morals Simplified on Superphysics

The General Principles Of Morals

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Author’s Advertisement

Most of the principles, and reasonings, contained in this volume, were published in my A Treatise Of Human Nature

The Benevolent Affections

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Part 1: Sympathy

We esteem the benevolent affections.

The epithets sociable, good-natured, humane, merciful, grateful, friendly, generous, beneficent, or their equivalents, are known in all languages. They universally express the highest merit, which HUMAN NATURE can attain.

Justice

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The good of mankind is the only object of all the laws of justice. Men’s possessions should be separated for the peace and interest of society.

Property

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A man’s property is anything which it is lawful for him, and for him alone, to use.

But rule do we use to distinguish these objects?

But their ultimate goal of statutes, customs, precedents, etc is the interest and happiness of human society.

Political Society

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There would be no need for governments or political society if everyone could observe justice and equity and had the strength of mind to resist present pleasure and advantage.

The Golden Age Versus the State of Nature

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The open and liberal hand of nature gives us few enjoyments.

We can extract more enjoyments from nature by art, labour, and industry.

Hence the ideas of property become necessary in all civil society.

The Utility of Justice

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PART 1

Justice is useful to society. This gives it its merit.

Self-love

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PART 2

Self-love is a principle in human nature of such extensive energy.

In general, each individual’s interest is so closely connected with that of the community.

This made philosophers think that our concern for the public came from a concern for our own happiness and preservation.

Why Utility Pleases

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Part 1

It is natural to praise the social virtues for their utility.

This is why moral writers everywhere use utility as the chief foundation of their reasoning.

In common life, utility is always appealed to.

Social Morals

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A creature, absolutely malicious and spiteful, were there any such in nature, must be worse than indifferent to the images of vice and virtue.

All his sentiments must be inverted, and directly opposite to those, which prevail in the human species.

Qualities Useful To Ourselves

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PART 1

Where a quality or habit is subjected to our examination, if it appear in any respect prejudicial to the person possessed of it, or such as incapacitates him for business and action, it is instantly blamed, and ranked among his faults and imperfections.

Physical Beauty

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All ancient moralists say that physical beauty is like a beautiful mind. We both praise a handsome man and a man with a beautiful mind.

Qualities Immediately Agreeable To Ourselves

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A sad group of people sometimes has a lively member who suddenly animates their conversation. Such a cheerfulness carries great merit with it and most more readily communicates itself all around. The flame spreads through the whole circle; and the most sullen and morose are often caught by it.

Qualities Immediately Agreeable To Others

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Hume Footnote

The natural definition of virtue is a quality of the mind agreeable to or approved of by every one who considers or contemplates it. Some qualities produce pleasure because they are useful to society or to the person himself, Other qualities produce pleasure more immediately. This is the case with the class of virtues here.

Conclusion

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PART 1

IT is surprising that any man in so late an age, should find it requisite to prove, by elaborate reasoning, that Personal Merit consists altogether in the possession of mental qualities, USEFUL or AGREEABLE to the PERSON HIMSELF or to OTHERS.

Moral Obligations

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Part 2

Why do we agree to moral obligations?

The philosophical truth of any proposition does not depend on its tendency to promote the interests of society.

Metaphysics

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We then proceed to examine a plain matter of fact, to wit, what actions have this influence.

We consider all the circumstances in which these actions agree, and thence endeavour to extract some general observations with regard to these sentiments.

Moral Sentiments

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The General Principles of Morals

What are the general principles of morals? How far do REASON or SENTIMENT enter into moral judgments?

One of the foundations of moral praise is the usefulness of a quality or action. Therefore, reason decides morality since only reason can=

The Ego (Self-Love)

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THERE is a principle, supposed to prevail among many, which is utterly incompatible with all virtue or moral sentiment; and as it can proceed from nothing but the most depraved disposition, so in its turn it tends still further to encourage that depravity.

Some Farther Considerations With Regard To Justice

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This Appendix:

explains the origin and nature of Justice
marks some differences between it and the other virtues.

The social virtues of humanity and benevolence exert their influence immediately by a direct tendency or instinct, which chiefly keeps in view the simple object, moving the affections, and comprehends not any scheme or system, nor the consequences resulting from the concurrence, imitation, or example of others.

Some Verbal Disputes

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It is very common for philosophers to:

encroach on the province of grammarians
engage in disputes of words, while they imagine that they are handling controversies of the deepest importance and concern.

It was in order to avoid frivolous altercations that I endeavoured to state with the utmost caution the object of our present enquiry;

Reflections 3-4

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Reflection 3

Ancient moralists are the best models. They made no material distinction among the different species of mental endowments and defects. Instead, they treated all alike under the name of virtues and vices. They made them indiscriminately the object of their moral reasonings.