In his Treatise of Human Nature, David Hume offers an elaborate account of the origins of property and suggests modesty has a similar origin. In this paper, I draw on Hume’s discussions of modesty and property to extract his account of the origin of modesty. Modesty and property are ultimately regulated by pride and selfishness according to Hume. I argue that these choices of passions, as the grounds of their related virtues, express an intentionally irreligious and anti-Christian approach. Furthermore, I argue that reading Hume in the context of irreligion not only helps understand his own theory, but also explains his different relationships to Shaftesbury and Hutcheson. I conclude that readers of Hume must consider his irreligious motives alongside his skeptical and naturalistic methods if they are to understand him in a historically accurate way, and make sense of how he approaches his project in the Treatise.

In his Treatise of Human Nature, published in 1739, David Hume set out to scientifically comprehend human understanding, action, and personality in terms of the "experimental method of reasoning." He presented a naturalistic portrait of man which represented him as fundamentally determined to avoid pain and embrace pleasure. In this portrait a substantial place is provided for reason, but only as the "servant" of the passions. Only the passions were considered by Hume to be practical; they alone are the effective source of every impulse to act. Reason is merely theoretical; it is solely concerned with the provision of information for the passions. Hume recognized that his account of human nature must face two related problems. First, there is the matter of the common belief that reasoning is a practical activity; a belief not in keeping with Hume's conception of reason as merely theoretical. Second, the fact that persons' actions are influenced by moral ponsiderations implies that they often act in ways not designed to gratify their personal passions. Thus, moral phenomena seem to pose a threat to the hedonistic basis of Hume's theory of human nature. These two problems are related insofar as it is precisely in the case of moral actions that the common notion of practical reason traditionally operates. Hume sought to preserve the essential impracticality of reason in morals with the provision of a complex notion of "sympathy." l£ is the central purpose of this thesis to show that Hume's concept of "sympathy" fails to resolve the problems that it is addressed to. SECTION I: HUME'S THEORY OF ACTION IN THE TREATISE This section provides a sympathetic reading of Hume's account of the role of the passions and reason in the determination of human action. Two difficulties in this account—the concept of a "promptive" function of reason, and the notion of a "calm passion"—are critically considered and found to cohere with the general theory of the faculties in the Treatise. SECTION II: NATURALISM, DETERMINISM, AND VOLITION The naturalism of Hume's account of action has direct reference to the philosophical problems which cluster around the question of the freedom of the will. This section considers the implications of Hume's psychological determinism with a view to understanding more perfectly the detail of his theory of the faculties and action. Close attention is paid here to Hume's view that actions are "artificial," and it is concluded that he allowed a large and influential role for reason without directly threatening the purely theoretical function of the understanding. SECTION III: NATURALISM AND MORALS Hume regarded his theory of morals in the third book of the Treatise as a test and confirmation of his theory of action developed in the first two books. This section explicates Hume's view that moral judgments are affective perceptions rather than conclusions of reason. It is shown that the principle of "sympathy" operates at the center of the process of moral judgment. SECTION IV: SYMPATHY Hume designed the principle of sympathy to explain, in a manner consistent with his general theory of action, how persons can be naturally concerned for the interests of others with whom they have no prior affective connection. The central claim made is that persons are attuned to one another in such a way that there is an easy communication of passion between them. Thus, what is commonly interpreted as a moral "judgment" is really a peculiar feeling precipitated by a sympathy with the passions of others. It is this special feeling which issues from a process of sympathy which Hume identified as moral praise or blame. This final section of the thesis provides an extensive analysis of Hume's concept of "sympathy," and presents an argument aimed at demonstrating the failure of the concept to fulfill its intended role. It is suggested, in conclusion, that Hume fails to show that moral judgments and actions could be possible without the practical involvement of reason. / Arts, Faculty of / Philosophy, Department of / Graduate

Den moderna filosofiska analysen av kausalitet utarbetades under 1700-talet av den skotskefilosofen David Hume. Under beteckningen regularitetsteorin har Humes analys varit utgångspunkten för alla senare empiriska analyser av orsaksförhållanden. Men Humes ståndpunkt om kausalitet tolkas olika och åsikterna varierar om vad hans orsaksteori utgörs av. En samtida tolkning av Hume som kausal realist gör gällande att Hume tror på existensen av objekt i tid och rum som är oberoende av våra sinnen och som uttrycker kausala relationer, vilka upprätthålls av icke–reducerbara kausala krafter. Dessa kausala relationer är sådana att om idén om dem vore tillgänglig för vårt medvetande, kunde effekten härledas a priori från orsaken. Detta arbete avser att argumentera mot den realistiska tolkningen av Hume, och visa på att Hume utvecklade en särskilt rigorös empirisk metodik för att undvika att gå längre än erfarenheten. Detta realiseras i första hand av Humes idéteori, dvs. uppfattningen att varje enkel idé härrör från erfarenheten som en kopia av ett enkelt intryck. Idéer står enligt Hume i bestämda relationer till varandra, varav några är naturliga associationer, medan andra är filosofiska relationer. Hume gör ytterligare en åtskillnad i fråga om filosofiska relationer: sådana som endast beror på idéerna och vars motsats är otänkbar, och sådana som kan förändras utan att idéerna undergår någon förändring och vars negation inte resulterar i en kontradiktion. Till den senare hör orsaksförhållanden. På detta sätt betraktat är kausalitet ett kontingent förhållande och något vi får kunskap om a posteriori. Givet Humes begreppsempirism, hörnstenen för båda hans resoluta antimetafysiska hållning och hans naturalistiska projekt, är det inte ens begripligt att tala om kausala krafter såsom en kvalitet hos orsaken. Hume påstår att vi felaktigt projicerar en idé om nödvändighet, något som endast existerar i sinnet, på yttre objekt, som i sin tur påverkar kausalitetens fenomenologi. Humes modus operandi i dettasammanhang är att göra våra idéer klara och tydliga genom att urskilja intrycken från vilka de kopierats. För Hume fungerar oklara idéer som analysandum och sökandet efter dess motsvarande intryck syftar till att ge klarhet åt idén. Mot bakgrund av Humes idéteori är den relevanta betydelsen av intryck för Hume perceptuell, och således förutsätter att de aktuellarepresentationerna är adekvata. Härigenom får distinkta perceptioner en framträdande roll i Humes filosofiska system.

Generally acclaimed as the greatest philosopher of the Enlightenment, David Hume has been, nevertheless, a problem for Enlightenment historians. In terms of the Enlightenment's own standards of empiricism and demonstrable philosophical tenets, Hume's is by far the most "legitimate" philosophy of the age, yet it is almost diametrically opposed to the traditional historical characterization of the Enlightenment. Consequently, historians must re-assess the empirical character of the Enlightenment, acknowledging it as yet another Age of Faith rather than science (as Becker contends), or acknowledge Hume's as the most valid Enlightenment philosophy. Such a re-assessment and study of Hume's conclusions would dramatically alter Enlightenment histories and provide meaningful insights into the actual Enlightenment legacy regarding modern man and his society.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Trata-se de investigar a posição de Hume no debate travado no século XVIII acerca do problema do gosto. A questão do gosto encontra-se difusa em boa parte da obra do filósofo escocês, mas é no ensaio Do Padrão do Gosto (1757) que Hume se detém no estudo do modo pelo qual os homens elaboram padrões ao fazerem julgamentos estéticos. Neste ensaio - objeto central desta dissertação -, Hume assinala a extrema variedade de gostos que há no mundo e nota que tanto a beleza quanto a deformidade dependem de como cada um as sente. Assim, nada poderia ser dito feio ou belo, imperando o completo relativismo estético. A pesquisa pretende analisar as articulações por meio das quais Hume resolve essa ameaça cética que paira sobre a crítica do gosto. / The following dissertation is an investigation of the position of David Hume concerning the question of taste in the 18th century. The issue of taste is widespread in much of the Scottish philosopher\'s works, but particularly in his essay Of the Standard of Taste (1757) he studies the way in which people elaborate patterns to make aesthetic judgments. In the essay the object of this dissertation Hume notes the great variety of tastes which prevails in the world and he also notes that the concepts of beauty and deformity depend on how each of them is experienced. Therefore, nothing can be said to be ugly or beautiful, according to this aesthetic relativism. This paper will examine the arguments Hume articulates in addressing and resolving the threat this skepticism poses to the notion of taste and to the possibility of art criticism.

O objetivo desta dissertação é compreender o conceito de padrão moral na filosofia de David Hume. Qual sua importância? O padrão moral regula os juízos morais. Todos os juízos de valor dependem do gosto e de sentimentos de prazer ou desagrado. Mas o que é o gosto? Quais objetos ele julga? Como ele forma juízos? Em moral, o objeto do gosto é o caráter pessoal. O caráter virtuoso causa prazer, o vicioso causa desgosto. Sentimos prazer com um caráter virtuoso porque ele contribui para a felicidade da espécie humana. Sentimos prazer com a felicidade de nossa espécie por causa de um instinto denominado benevolência. Todos nós temos esse instinto, existe uma natureza humana. Alguns juízos de gosto são defectivos, mas o refinamento corrige-os. O padrão moral é instituído pelo refinado gosto de indivíduos que contemplaram a natureza humana. Eles são chamados de moralistas. Moralistas humanizam a humanidade. São essas as principais teses examinadas aqui. / This dissertation aims to comprehend the concept of moral standard in David Humes philosophy. Why is it important? The moral standard regulates moral judgments. All value judgments depend on taste and on sentiments of pleasure or dislike. But what is taste? What objects does it judge? How does it make judgments? The object of taste on morals is personal character. The virtuous character causes pleasure, the vicious character causes disgust. We feel pleasure with a virtuous character, for he promotes the happiness of the human species. We feel pleasure with the happiness of our species because of an instinct denominated benevolence. We all have this instinct, there is a human nature. Some judgments of taste are defective, but refinement corrects them. The moral standard is instituted by the refined taste of individuals who contemplated human nature. They are called moralists. Moralists humanize humanity. These are the principal theses here examined.

Trata-se de explorar o tema da identidade pessoal no Tratado da natureza humana (1739-1740) de Hume, segundo três pontos de vista: a simpatia, a imaginação e as paixões. De início, mediante o estudo da relação entre as ideias de eu e de outro no princípio da simpatia, procuramos mostrar como esse princípio carrega em si um significado mais profundo do que a mera comunicação de paixões ou afetos usualmente privilegiada entre os intérpretes. Com efeito, se examinarmos a dependência entre o indivíduo e seu semelhante, encontramos no mecanismo simpático um conflito quanto à natureza da identidade pessoal: o eu é, ao mesmo tempo, a percepção mais forte que se pode ter no pensamento, e, sem a exterioridade, nas palavras de Hume, o eu é na realidade nada. A fim de esclarecer o conflito, propomos o seguinte: num primeiro momento, investiga-se a imaginação, em virtude da qual uma ficção do eu é engendrada no pensamento; num segundo, a sucessão de paixões, em que um eu de prazer e dor é produzido. Sem a intenção de privilegiar a imaginação ou as paixões como princípio de formação da identidade, ou mesmo de especular a respeito de uma articulação exaustiva entre elas, pretendemos apreender sob os três pontos de vista (incluindo a simpatia) o que haveria de essencial à identidade: uma ordem que se estabelece a partir da desordem, e que se encontra a todo momento por ela ameaçada. / This work explores the theme of personal identity in Humes Treatise of human nature (1739-1740), according to these three points of view: sympathy, imagination and passions. First of all, through the study of the relation between the self and the ideia of other in the principle of sympathy, we intend to show that this principle carries within itself a meaning more significant than a mere communication of passions or affects usually adopted by the commentators. In effect, if we examine the dependency between the individual and his similar, we find in the mechanism of sympathy a conflict regarding the nature of personal identity: the self is, at the same time, the liveliest perception we can have in the thought, and, without the exteriority, according to Humes words, the self is in reality nothing. In order to overcome the conflict, we propose: first, the investigation of the imagination, through which a fiction of the self is created in the thought; second, the succession of passions, where a self of pleasure and pain is produced. Without the intention of favouring the imagination or the passions as the principle of the formation of identity, neither with the intention of speculating about an exhaustive articulation between these two, we intend to consider by the three points of view (including that of sympathy) what would be the essential about personal identity: an order that is established by the disorder, and that is at all times threatened by that very disorder.

Desde sua primeira obra, David Hume anuncia ao leitor o projeto de constituição de uma ciência da natureza humana. O principal objetivo deste trabalho consiste em examinar os argumentos utilizados por Hume para construir as condições de possibilidade desse saber. / Since his first work David Hume announces his intentions to constitute a science of human nature. The main target of this thesis is to examine the arguments used by Hume to build the conditions of possibility of this field of knowledge.

Podemos afirmar que o tratamento dado por Hume à relação entre a Divindade e o mal moral no final da seção 8 da Investigação sobre o Entendimento Humano (EHU) tem seu desenvolvimento mais profundo e sofisticado nos Diálogos sobre a Religião Natural. Embora Hume também trate desse tópico na seção 11 da EHU, a ampla e profunda crítica feita às pretensões levantadas pelo argumento do desígnio nos Diálogos oferece um efetivo desdobramento da questão abordada por Hume em EHU 8. O abandono em EHU 8 de uma inquirição mais detalhada do problema acerca da relação entre o mal e a Divindade é compreensível. Com efeito, Hume pretendia ali, entre outras coisas, argumentar em favor de uma instância de destinação dos juízos de responsabilidade moral, a saber, o caráter. Daí ser aceitável a sua afirmação de que não é possível explicar precisamente como a Divindade pode ser a causa mediata de todas as ações dos homens sem ser a autora do pecado e da torpeza moral. Esses são mistérios que a simples razão natural e desassistida não está nem um pouco preparada para enfrentar, e seja qual for o sistema que ela adote, encontrar-se-á envolvida em inextrincáveis dificuldades (EHU 8 § 36). Certamente Hume não resolveu cabalmente essas dificuldades nos Diálogos, mas tentou enfrentá-las na medida em que uma razão desassistida, isto é, sem apoio em dogmas religiosos, pode fazê-lo. A partir desse aspecto da crítica de Hume empreendida nos Diálogos, minha intenção é examinar em que medida o argumento do desígnio se vê comprometido com o reconhecimento do mal no mundo. Para tanto, devo percorrer um longo caminho examinando as duas provas em favor da existência de Deus discutidas nos Diálogos. / It is stated that the treatment given by Hume to the relationship between God and moral evil at the end of section 8 of An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (EHU) has its deeper and more sophisticated development in the Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Although Hume also treats this topic in section 11 of EHU, the wide and deep criticism regarding the assumptions raised by the design argument in Dialogues offers an effective development on the issue examined by Hume in EHU 8. The abandonment, in EHU 8, of a more detailed examination concerning the problem of the relationship between evil and divinity is understandable. Among other things, Hume intended to argue on that section in favour of an instance of destination to judgments of moral responsibility, namely, the character. Thus, it is acceptable his assertion that it is impossible to explain distinctly, how the Deity can be the mediate cause of all the actions of men without being the author of sin and moral turpitude. These are mysteries, which mere natural and unassisted reason is very unfit to handle; and whatever system she embraces, she must find herself involved in inextricable difficulties(8 EHU § 36). Hume certainly did not solve these difficulties in its totality in the Dialogues, but he tried to confront them to the extent that as \"unassisted reason\" can do so, that is, without the support of the religious dogma. From this aspect of Hume\'s criticism undertaken in the Dialogues, my intention is to examine in what extent the design argument is endangered by the recognition of evil in the world. Before that, I must walk a long path examining the two proofs of Gods existence discussed in the Dialogues.