David Hume

A brief biography of David Hume covers the first part of this chapter. Subsequently, I shall unravel Hume’s explication of the basis of moral judgements and his suggestion of the paramount role sentiments and passions play in this sort of judgement. He sets a clear distinction between reason and sentiments/passion, and strives to argue that when it comes to matters of morality, it is not rational justification that possesses the power to move us to morally appraisable actions, good or bad, but the dynamic operations of our passions, our responses to witnessing actions that have stirred our emotions towards approval or disapproval. Hume can be said to adopt the position of ethical emotivism, which declares that moral judgements are not propositions; they are not truth functional.