Abstract

MERCADO, Juan Andrés. Bien, utilidad y conciencia: aspectos fundamentales de la ética en tercera persona de David Hume. Tópicos (México) [online]. 2012, n.42, pp.173-205. ISSN 0188-6649.

Hume reacted against egoism, rationalism, teleology and the religious elements contained in moral proposals. He places feelings in first place along with the spontaneous generation of a legal order issuing from them. Yet, many texts of this philosopher point at the need of reconsidering order (and beauty), finality and the role of reason in the realm of actions. His brilliant description of virtues goes beyond what this alleged spontaneity propounds, but it does not supersede the spectator's ("third person") perspective, and it also fails to provide a way for the acquisition of the stable dispositions of character.

Keywords : Hume; morals; liberalism; virtues; feeling; selfishness.