Hume's wide view of the virtues: An analysis of his early critics

Hume Studies

Volumn 24, Issue 2, 1998, Pages 295-311

  Fieser, James ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT MARTIN   (United States)

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Indexed keywords

EID: 61049344166     PISSN: 03197336     EISSN: 19479921     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (21)

1. David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature, edited by L. A. Selby-Bigge, second edition revised by P. H. Nidditch (Oxford: Clarendon, 1978), hereafter abbreviated "T"
2. David Hume, Enquiries concerning Human Understanding and concerning the Principles of Morals, edited by L. A. Selby-Bigge, third edition revised by P. H. Nidditch (Oxford: Clarendon, 1975) references to the second Enquiry only, abbrediated "EPM."
3. C. L. Stevenson, Ethics and Language (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1944), 34-35.
4. Letter of 17 September 1739 to Francis Hutcheson, in The Letters of David Hume, edited by J.Y.T. Greig, 2 volumes (Oxford: Clarendon, 1969), I 32-34; hereafter abbreviated "HL."
5. All of the early responses discussed below are reprinted in Early Responses to Hume's Moral, Literary and Political Writings, edited by James Fieser (Bristol: James Thoemmes Press, 1999). The first printed response to the second Enquiry was William Rose's review of that work in the Monthly Review, 1752, Volume 6, 1-19.
6. Rose's review consists mainly of extended excerpts and impartial summaries. Although he does not criticize Hume for his wide construal of the virtues, Rose's choice of excerpts and summaries clearly emphasizes Hume's wide understanding of the virtues.
7. Some late opinions concerning the foundations of morality examined. In a letter to a friend (London: R. Dodsley, 1753), 24-3 1.
8. Review of Some late opinions.., in the Monthly Review, 1753, Volume 8, 400. The reviewer's summary is as follows: After this he proceeds to consider that idea of approbation, which mr. Hume makes to include the whole of the moral feeling, and upon which he founds the distinction betwixt virtue and vice; and here he takes a short view of that variety of different objects and qualities, which the author of the Enquiry ranks under the same class of moral approbation; and endeavours to shew, that the sentiments they produce in us differ as widely as the approbation of inanimate from that of rational objects.
9. [James Balfour] A delineation of the nature and obligation of morality with reflexions upon Mr. Hume's book, intitled, An inquiry concerning the principles of morals (Edinburgh: Hamilton, Balfour, and Neill, 1753), 105-109; 116-123.
10. John Leland, A view of the principal deistical writers of the last and present century, Volume II (London: B. Dodd, 1755) (Letter 21 in Volume I of the 1757 edition).
11. Review of John Leland's A view of the principal deistical writers... in the Monthly Review, 1757, Volume 14, 465-477
12. Critical Review, 1756, Volume I, 193-208.
13. James Beattie, Essay on the nature and immutability of truth in opposition to sophistry and scepticism (Edinburgh: A. Kincaid andJ. Bell, 1770), 421-448.
14. "Character of the Works of David Hume Esq," in The Weekly Magazine or Edinburgh Amusement, 1773, Volume 22, 233-234.
15. "Tobias Simple,""Strictures on the account of the life and writings of David Hume," in Weekly Magazine, or Edinburgh Review, 1777, Volume 38, 289-292.
16. Pall S. Ardal, Passion and Value in Hume's Treatise (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1966), 160-161.
17. Philippa Foot, "Hume on Moral Judgment," in her Virtues and Vices (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978), 75.
18. J. L. Mackie, Hume's Moral Theory (London: Routledge, 1980), 129.
19. Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully, Mémoires des sages et royals conomies (Amsterdam, 1652-1762)
20. translated into English as Memoirs of Maximilian de Bethune, duke of Sully, prime minister to Henry the Great (London: Printed for A. Millar, 1756).
21. David Hume, The Natural History of Religion, edited by James Fieser (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 70.