How Is Non-metaphysical Ethics Possible—On Hume’s Ethics

The traditional metaphysical rationalism ethics assume that reason can achieve moral principles from eternal values or standards. However, according to Hume’s perspectives, it is wrong. Human reason could know nothing except experience and observation. Reason cannot prove that God exists. Popular religions result from the scares of unknown forces. The premises of theologies have no substantial association with morality. Superstition and fanaticism of religion are against human natural passions, which leads to the lost of passion and moral turpitude. Morality, coming from human society, is the result of human being in pursuing happiness and social existence. Neutral free will is an illusion, because there is causality among behavior, personality and environments. From this point of view, free will without causality can not be understood. The author thinks that Hume’s critics to deism, popular religions and free will, from the view of skepticism, is very convincing. However, causal theory based on the observer’s subjective necessity, which is still not thorough enough, leaves the belief space for theology and metaphysics.Hume thinks that rational discovery can not directly lead to action, so the ultimate human motivation cannot be explained by reason. Moral distinction does not come from rational knowledge, because reason can not find good and evil in the relationship of ideas and the reasoning of facts, otherwise, all objects of rational cognition can be good or evil. Rules of ethics is active, and reason is inactive, which cannot bring forth motivation, so moral rules may not be the product of rational discovery. On this issue, even avoiding metaphysical background with the empirical way, whether reason can distinct good and evil, or bring forth motivation, remains the core problem of contemporary western controversy between the Humean ethics and the Kantian ethics. The author thinks that although Hume’s criticism of the activity of reason is too simple and underestimates the scope of reason, but in general, his argument is logically consistency, and it is still the most powerful thought resources of criticism of Kantian.Hume thinks that man is not only a reasonable animal but also a passionate animal. Passion is the original motivation of human behavior. Reason serves passion and regulates the direction of passions. Spontaneous freedom reflects the natural causal link between character and behavior, and it is a necessary precondition of moral evaluation. Moral sentiments, which derive from sympathy for utility, are the basis of good and evil distinction. Virtues are the psychological qualities, which are praised by moral sentiments. Virtues not only base on human nature, but also are promoted by human effects. Moral sentiments not only have evaluation function on right or wrong, but also are basic motives of promoting perfecting character and moral progress. Self-love and universal benevolence are complementary, which are the double driving forces for the virtue of justice coming into being. Passion is the original motivation, but the role of reason should not be underestimated. Pleasure is the essence of happiness, and pursuing maximization of happiness is inseparable from reasonable understanding of passionate motivations. Reason not only can rank the motives of action to maximize happiness, but also produce secondary motivations from original motive, so reason and passions concur in all moral reasoning and moral actions. In any case, there is a basic difference between Hume’s concept of reason and the concept of rationality of rationalistic metaphysical ethics. Practical reason must serve passions, not to the contrary. The value of virtues derives from their functions which can benefit and please others and the virtuous men. Others’utility may turn into pleasures of the person with virtues through sympathy. Pursuing virtues is the fundamental way to dignity and happiness. Being Virtuous men becomes the highest valuable human goals. As a result, virtue progress is a basic trend of human history.The author thinks Hume is the successor of Aristotle’s virtue ethics, but he has completely abandoned the view of moral truth of traditional metaphysics. He also thinks that the standard of right or wrong deriving from practical reason bases on human passionate needs, so this viewpoint leads a turn of ethics from metaphysics to non-metaphysics. With moral sentiments as the core, Hume provides a kind of enlightenment discourse of virtue ethics, which has profoundly influenced the development of contemporary ethics in the west. By Comparing Hume’s ethics with other ethics, we can understand the limitations of contemporary western mainstream ethics, thus we would have a better understanding of the future trend of ethics. As a whole Hume’s ethics can be regarded as a kind of ethics with a clear-cut standpoint and a well-knit structure, but talking about practical reason he has said some mince words. Because of some conclusion in a treatise of human nature some scholars believe that Hume dose not have the viewpoint of practical reason, but on the whole, this viewpoint is not consistent with the actual situation. Hume’s Ethics reflects a view of practical reason of instrumentalism. Reason can not directly come up with original motivation which can lead to action, but in the greatest happiness view we can coherently understand various passionate motivations, and can make a selection of priority according to their value outlook, and can develop derivative motives in the basis of original motive, so we can open the way for passions and virtue progress with the help of reason. This ability of reason must be obtained through observation and historical experience, so there is not practical reason beyond time and space. For moral choice, being subject to established personality and the mood of that time, the stimulating role of passion is primitive and direct, so in the process of decision about action the role of reason is limited. If people pay attention to cultivate good habits in the help of reason, and make moral sentiments become the dominant passions in the help of good habits, it is on the way to virtue and happiness.