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An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals and Other Works

In his authobiography, David Hume declared unequivocally that this work, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751) is ‘of all my writings, historical, philosophical, or literary, incomparably the best.’ In it, Hume takes the discussion away from traditional attitudes where either rational or metaphysical issues govern moral principles. Instead, he introduces the human factor, introducing the sentiments and passions inherent in human psychology.

In the opening paragraph of his Enquiry he states the ground clearly: ‘There has been a controversy started of late, much better worth examination, concerning the general foundation of Morals; whether they be derived from Reason, or from Sentiment; whether we attain the knowledge of them by a chain of argument and induction, or by an immediate feeling and finer internal sense; whether, like all sound judgement of truth and falsehood, they should be the same to every rational intelligent being; or whether, like the perception of beauty and deformity, they be founded entirely on the particular fabric and constitution of the human species.’

He challenges the notion that reason can dictate moral principles independently of our desires and sentiments, arguing instead that reason serves as a tool to navigate and articulate our moral sentiments.

Central to Hume's thesis is the concept of moral approbation and disapprobation, which he contends stem from our natural inclination to feel pleasure or aversion in response to certain actions or traits.

He pursues his theme with characteristic clarity, concentrating on topics including benevolence, justice, utility, qualities useful to ourselves and others. He rejects moral absolutism which presumes the existence of immutable moral laws. Throughout, he emphasizes the importance of empathy and compassion as essential components of ethical behaviour.

Hume's "An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals" stands as a testament to his profound insight into the complexities of human nature and morality.

This recording also contains two essays which also reflect the independence of his views for his time, On Suicide and On the Immortality of the Soul.


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Englisch


  1. 50 Meisterwerke der Philosophie : Metaphysik, Das Gastmahl, Bhagavadgita, Tractatus logico-philosophicus, Kritik der reinen Vernunft, Also sprach Zarathustra, Selbstbetrachtungen von Marcus Aurelius

    Ludwig Wittgenstein, Edmund Husserl, Karl Marx, Sören Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Stuart Mill, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Schelling, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Immanuel Kant, John Locke, Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, David Hume, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Baruch Spinoza, - Konfuzius, Lao Tse, Platon, Xenophon, - Aristoteles, Marcus Tullius Cicero, Seneca, Epiktet, Marc Aurel, Plotin, Thomas von Aquin, Nicolaus von Cues, - Erasmus von Rotterdam, Niccolò Machiavelli, Tommaso Campanella, Martin Luther, Giordano Bruno, Samuel von Pufendorf, Abbé Castel de Saint-Pierre, Michel de Montaigne, René Descartes, Francis Bacon, Blaise Pascal

    book
  2. The History of England Volume 6 : Containing the Commonwealth, Charles II and James II

    David Hume

    audiobook
  3. The Dark Ages Collection : Chronicles of a Transformative Era

    John Bagnell Bury, Edward Creasy, Henry Bradley, Edward Gibbon, David Hume, Zenith Crescent Moon Press

    book
  4. Ensayos morales, políticos y literarios

    David Hume

    book
  5. The History of England Volume 5 : James I and Charles I

    David Hume

    audiobook
  6. The History of England Volume 4 : The Reign of Queen Elizabeth I

    David Hume

    audiobook
  7. The History of England Volume 3 : From Henry VII to Mary

    David Hume

    audiobook
  8. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding : with A Letter from a Gentleman to his friend in Edinburgh and Hume’s Abstract of A Treatise of Human Nature

    David Hume

    audiobook
  9. The History of England Volume 2 : King Henry III to King Richard III

    David Hume

    audiobook
  10. The History of England Volume 1 : From the Invasion of Julius Caesar to King John

    David Hume

    audiobook
  11. Essays, Moral, Political, and Literary

    David Hume

    audiobook