An Inquiry Into Hume’s Thoughts Of Economic Ethic

Hume philosophy is well known in the world, to economics and economic ethics also had a subversive influence. Hume’s ethics to perceptual epistemology as the basis, through criticizing the traditional rationalism moral values and establish emotional moral view, the overall moral thoughts into economics, make the economic ethics thought of Hume have a style of one’s own, profound influence.Property right theory is the core content of Hume’s economic ethics, Hume is most outstanding contribution to economics. Delimitation of property, stability of possession agreement, is to establish the human society all the conditions in the most essential condition, is also the most important work. Hume thinks, property right is not the nature of the external relations, but of human relationship, the need to artificially designed artificially produced, this design is the "stability of possession, according to the agreed to transfer property and fulfill the promise " of the three basic laws of justice, justice in the time before the property rather than the reverse, and justice decide the property rather than the reverse. If you do not assume that the justice and unjust, property rights are not completely understood. Justice originates from people’s interests rather than rational, justice is originated from people’s selfish and limited generosity of nature, as well as for the satisfaction of human needs for scarce supply. If you do not assume that the justice and injustice, property rights are not completely understood.The natural emotion motivation is always a result of the specific situation changing, no universal, can not become the basis of justice, people follow their natural and variable principle can cause confusion, and the rule of justice is based on the interests and appear, occurred in human agreement, can avoid the confusion, for a society, justice than these natural and variable principle to more basic, more important.Hume criticized the physiocracy and mercantilism thought of two kinds of economy. Physiocracy is represented by Aristotle, he thinks agriculture is natural, business is not naturally, is unfair, advocate the physiocracy, Hume does not suppression of agricultural, but to "raise business", that the country’s prosperity, commom people happiness, with a commercial have close relationship, as long as the private business and private property get social authority for greater protection, society itself will be with private business prosperity and the corresponding strong up. Mercantilism in early primary manifestation is banned exports, to the Hume era, mercantilism performance make only superficial changes, from the commercial embargo to gold and silver output of the embargo, lest the silver outflow, the trade imbalance has a strong distrust. At the time of the mercantilism the mainstream view is the balance of trade, that treasure is a country true wealth, therefore the main piece of government trade protection measures taken, upset the balance of trade, make national export and import less, get trade surplus, thus allowing more gold and silver into the country. Hume thinks, the balance of trade of gold and silver outflow concerns is to entertain imaginary or groundless fears, this is economics bound, by limiting the import export promotion measures to maintain the balance of trade, to prevent the outflow of gold and silver, is a short-sighted, do more harm than good practice, long-term, benefit is more than fraud is the practice of raising the quality of human, development of domestic industry, cultivate the competitiveness of domestic goods, through free competition will make export more than it imports, trade surplus. Hume opposed the trade protection measures to promote balanced or surplus, advocates of free trade, which was at that time is very have farsightedness economic view.Hume in eighteenth Century is an important representative of the quantity theory of money. He believes that the amount of money, for an internal state of happiness, is to be of no great importance. The administration policy is to keep the growth momentum, as long as the authority to take such measures, can arouse the manufacturing enthusiasm of domestic labor, increase product reserve, and the reserve are all the fundamental strength and wealth. As for the interest, he thinks interest reduction is industrial and commercial development rather than monetary amount results in increased; as for the credit, he thinks that government spending should be derived from commercial and industrial development brought about by the tax and cannot rely on borrowed time, borrowing in every respect, consequences, deprived the government credit.Hume’s economic ethics, ethics of property right is the priority among priorities, business ethics and the ethics of money is also important poles, in addition, Hume on art, taxes, population relates to economic ethical aspects also have unique insights. He fully affirmed technology progress, technology brings knowledge and people’s industrious combination, the community will be profitable, even lead to social system and legal and political civilization, from the human history of art, the era of great development, but also the political civilization and the moral progress of society.