bradach 's review for:

An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals by David Hume

3.0

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I didn’t think this was anywhere near as strong as Hume’s Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. The book seemed to meander a lot. Generally his ethics can be summed up in a few words: Utility/Usefulness to society and Sentimentality. The four cardinal virtues and vices of antiquity aren’t precursors to morality but rather are end results of the natural human tendency toward utility and sentimentality, according to Hume. I agree with this but where the book goes astray in providing a clear message about application. I don’t think it is clear and is completely subjective in how one perceives utility and sentimentality and maybe Hume thought the same but I couldn’t tell from this book.