Reading Hume on the Principles of Morals

Hume's <em>Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals</em> is one of the landmark works in the history of moral philosophy; this volume presents a section-by-section study of the work in the form of new interpretative essays by leading Hume scholars. The result is a comprehensive reassessment of<br>Hume's 'recasting' of his moral philosophy in this work. Particular attention is given to the Enlightenment concepts of justice and benevolence as well as to the concept of humanity and moral sentiment. Fifteen original chapters take the reader through the nine sections and four appendices of<br>Hume's <em>Enquiry</em> as well as 'A Dialogue ' to assess critically the moral philosophy he presents. How does it differ from the moral philosophy of the <em>Treatise</em> and how should we understand the significance of the arguments he advances? Additional chapters examine the relation between Hume's mature<br>moral philosophy and related subjects such as his epistemology his writings on religion beauty and criticism the passions and his own intellectual and philosophical development during the period in which he conceived and wrote the <em>Enquiry</em>.