Theses and Dissertations

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David Hume's theory of justice: an examination of the possibility of an instinctual concept of property and natural virtue of justice
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Maimone, Charles L., author; Rollin, Bernard, advisor; Archie, Andre, committee member; Hickey, Matthew, committee member
In this work I argue that David Hume's classification of the virtue of justice as artificial is mistaken, and propose that the possibility of the existence of a natural virtue of justice should be taken seriously within Hume's moral framework. In the first chapter of this work, I present Hume's moral theory, with a focus on Hume's distinction between natural and artificial virtues. In the second chapter, I argue that Hume's certainty concerning the classification of justice as an artificial virtue is mistaken, and offer a positive account of the possibility of a natural origin, and ultimately a natural virtue of justice. In the third chapter I will entertain possible objections Hume might offer to my argumentation, and offer responses accordingly.