Human Nature, Freedom And Justice

This dissertation contributes to an inquiry of David Hume’s political philosophy. Though one of the greatest Western philosophers, Hume attracts scholars most on epistemology and moral doctrines, while leaving his political thoughts less touched. Based on original texts, our thesis is a study on the political philosophy of Hume from two aspects, hoping to illustrate the fundamental theory of the Hume’s political thought, together with its status and significance in the history of Western political philosophy.The first facet is a general analysis of the theoretical structure, including its ground, the way of thinking, logical constructions as well as specific contents, so as to expose the particularity and integrity of Hume’s political philosophy, and to clarify various versions of misunderstanding and controversy on his political reflections. Hume’s political philosophy is a constituent of his "human" science. The study of humanity founds his political philosophy and makes it as a practical realization of the former, in a theoretical consistency and unity. Investigations on humanity and existential environment form the starting point of Hume’s political thought, while another foundation of it is his naturalistic theory of humanity. Hume’s moral theory has reached the turning point of classical moral philosophy towards emotionalism that justifies his political thoughts, with which constitutes the theory of morality. Conclusively, Hume’s political philosophy is grounded in a naturalistic theory of humanity together with an emotionalistic moral theory. Furthermore, the theory of justice, which bears the central importance of his political research, is to be distinguished into two aspects, i.e., justice in rules, based on property right, and justice in morality, emphasized on human sense and characters in what is right. Thus leads to the distinction between political good and ethical good, between two kinds of philosophy. Hume’s theory of government is regarded as the expansion of his thought on justice, with which plays a key role in his political philosophy.The second facet of our research is to locate Hume in the history of Western political philosophy in a comparative, historical and synthetic way, that is, to lay emphasis on the association between Hume and the contract theory and utilitarianism. Hume firmly objected the basic and the framework of the contact theory’s Political philosophy, etc.the theory of natural law and natural rights, and then he critiqued and deconstructed this theory. The difference between Hume and Rousseau would be regarded as a conflict between two different Political philosophy traditions. Hume’s critique of the contact theory’s Political philosophy gives a new possibility and new theory framework to British utilitarianism in19century, and stimulates its birth and development, but Hume is not a utilitarianism, he just played a transitional role in modern time Political philosophy, and made a great influence to its transition.In conclusion, it is of great importance for us to grasp the historical logic of Western political philosophy through a close study on Hume’s thought.