The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast Ep. 367: Hume on the Foundations of Ethics (Part Two)
May 26, 2025
Dive into Hume's analysis of justice, revealing its social construct origins and vital role in ethics. Discover contrasting views on property rights that highlight the tension between ownership and societal welfare. Explore how morality emerges from societal conventions rather than metaphysical beliefs, and navigate the complexities of virtue and ethical relativism. Delve into the connections between utility and aesthetics, and examine the psychological influences on our moral judgments. A lively discussion wraps up with an exploration of Hume's is-ought distinction.
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Justice is Socially Constructed
- Hume argues justice arises purely from public utility, not natural rights or divine law.
- Property concepts are social constructs invented for utility, not naturally inherent.
Property Laws as Social Superstitions
- Property rights are conventional and function like superstitions, grounded in societal utility.
- Imaginary boundaries and laws maintain social order though they seem arbitrary.
Justice Depends on Social Conditions
- Justice is contingent on societal conditions like scarcity; it’s not absolute.
- Systems that fail to support the majority, like extreme wealth disparities, lose legitimacy.
