An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals

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An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals is a philosophical work by David Hume that develops his influential account of morality as grounded in human sentiment rather than reason alone.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf book
philosophical work
author David Hume
authorOpinion David Hume regarded it as one of his best works
basedOn Book 3 of A Treatise of Human Nature
centralConcept agreeableness as a source of moral approval
distinction between natural and artificial virtues
sentiment of approbation
sympathy
usefulness as a source of moral approval
containsSection Of Benevolence
Of Justice
Of Political Society
Of the General Principles of Morals
Of the Love of Fame
Of the Obligation of Promises
Of the Origin of Government
Of the Origin of Justice and Property
countryOfOrigin Scotland
critiques moral rationalism
follows A Treatise of Human Nature
genre ethics
moral philosophy
hasForm treatise
hasPerspective secular account of morality
historicalPeriod Enlightenment philosophy
influenced Adam Smith
Immanuel Kant
modern sentimentalist ethics
utilitarian moral theory
influencedBy British moral sense theory
Francis Hutcheson
mainTheme justice and artificial virtues
morality grounded in human sentiment
natural virtues
role of reason and passion in ethics
virtue and vice
originalLanguage English
philosophicalDomain metaethics
normative ethics
philosophicalSchool empiricism
sentimentalism
placeOfPublication London
positionOnMorality morality is founded on sentiment rather than reason alone
positionOnReason reason is the slave of the passions
publicationYear 1751
relatedWork An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
structure divided into sections rather than books

Referenced by (7)

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