Classic Book Reader
Cover of An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals

An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals

by David Hume (1711–1776)

  • Free to read
  • 3 hours to read
  • 15 chapters
  • Reading level: College-level

"An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals" by David Hume is a philosophical work published in 1751. Hume argues that morality is grounded in sentiment and feeling rather than reason alone. Through empirical investigation of how humans actually make moral judgments, he develops a sympathy-based theory that rejects pure self-interest and embraces altruistic concern. The work presents a virtue ethics framework, controversially dismissing certain religious virtues as harmful to human flourishing and social utility.

Read free now No app, no sign-up. Your place is saved automatically. Or download for your e-reader ↓
  • Ethics
  • Conduct of life

Read the opening

Section I: Of the General Principles of Morals

I. Concerning Moral Sentiment
II. Of Self-love
III. Some Farther Considerations with Regard to Justice
IV. Of Some Verbal Disputes

AN ENQUIRY CONCERNING THE PRINCIPLES OF MORALS

DISPUTES with men, pertinaciously obstinate in their principles, are, of all others, the most irksome; except, perhaps, those with persons, entirely disingenuous, who really do not believe the opinions they defend, but engage in the controversy, from affectation, from a spirit of opposition, or from a desire of showing wit and ingenuity, superior to the rest of mankind. The same blind adherence to their own arguments is to be expected in both; the same contempt of their antagonists; and the same passionate vehemence, in inforcing sophistry and falsehood. And as reasoning is not the source, whence either disputant derives his tenets; it is in vain to expect, that any logic, which speaks not to the affections, will ever engage him to embrace sounder principles.

Keep reading An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals →

Contents

  1. Front Matter
  2. Section I: Of the General Principles of Morals
  3. Part I
  4. Part II
  5. Part I
  6. Part II
  7. Part II
  8. Section IV
  9. Part I
  10. Part II
  11. Part I
  12. Part II
  13. Section VII
  14. Section VIII
  15. Part I
  16. Part II

Download for your e-reader

Files are provided by Project Gutenberg. On a Kindle, the simplest route is to send the EPUB with Amazon’s Send to Kindle. Downloaded copies don’t sync with your place on Classic Book Reader.

About this edition

This free edition of An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals by David Hume comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #4320, released 2003-08-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Philosophy & Ethics.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

More by David Hume