Politics, law and morality: David Hume on justice

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2011

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Eryılmaz, Enes

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This thesis evaluates David Hume’s notion of justice by examining the coherence in his legal, moral, and political philosophy. It is argued that on the whole, Hume’s use of the concept justice is coherent in his theories of law, ethics, and politics. To this end, firstly, Hume’s moral thought is examined in detail. Secondly, his legal theory and his position in legal philosophy are considered with references to its moral aspects. Next, Hume’s notion of justice is examined in its relation with the state. It is observed that Hume’s conception of justice has moral, legal, and political foundations, and that all of these subjects depend on the same principles. It is shown that the laws of justice constitute an ethical, legal, and political issue in Hume’s philosophy. According to Hume, although obeying the rules of justice is a moral topic, the laws of justice are guaranteed by the state in large societies.

Subject Keywords

Justice., Philosophy.

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http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12613424/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/20668

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Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats

E. Eryılmaz, “ Politics, law and morality: David Hume on justice,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2011.