A System Of Moral Philosophy

Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746) was a key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment and one of the eighteenth century's most influential philosophers. He taught Adam Smith, helping shape his widely influential economic and moral theories, and he greatly influenced Hume and Bentham. His theory that the only proper actions are those which will generally benefit society prepared the way for the English utilitarians. His views were extensively discussed throughout Britain and ranged as far as the American colonies, where his political theory was read and adopted by revolutionaries. He is best known for his contribution to moral theory, being the chief exponent of the 'moral sense' doctrine which, following Shaftesbury, emphasized feeling rather than reasoning as the source of judgements of virtue and vice. A System of Moral Philosophy was written as early as 1738, but added to and altered by Hutcheson throughout his life. Published posthumously in 1755 by Hutcheson's son, Francis the younger, the System is Hutcheson's longest work and the fullest explanation of his method. Giving a comprehensive account of morality in three books, it includes discussions of human nature; our duties to God, to each other and ourselves; the supreme good; civil liberty; rights; contracts; marriage; the rights and duties of parents; and the laws of peace and war. The work also contains an argument against slavery that was reprinted in colonial Philadelphia and helped give academic weight to the anti-slavery movement. William Leechman, a friend of Hutcheson and Professor of Divinity at Glasgow, contributes a highly valuable biography. In addition, the Thoemmes edition includes a new introduction by Daniel Carey. --one of the great philosophical works of the eighteenth century --the rare and valuable first edition, unedited and reprinted in its entirety --includes a new introduction outlining the importance of the text

Published posthumously in 1755, these volumes offer the most comprehensive account of the moral and political philosophy of Francis Hutcheson.

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A SYSTEM OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY, IN THREE BOOKS Volume 2 By Francis Hutcheson Contents of the Second Volume Book II 9. Concerning Contrasts or Covenants. 10. The Obligations in the Use of Speech. 11. Concerning Oaths and Vows. 12. The Values of Goods in Commerce, and the Nature of Coin. 13. The principal Contracts in a Social Life. 14. Personal Rights arising from some lawful Action of the Person obliged, or of him who has the Right. 15. The Rights arising from Injuries and Damages, done by others: and the Abolition of Rights. 16. Concerning the general Rights of Human Society, or Mankind as a System. 17. The extraordinary Rights arising from some singular Necessity. 18. How Controversies should be decided in Natural Liberty. Book III Of Civil Polity. 1. Concerning the adventitious States or permanent Relations: and first, Marriage. 2. The Rights and Duties of Parents and Children. 3. The Duties and Rights of Masters and Servants. 4. The Motives to constitute Civil Government. 5. The natural Method of constituting Civil Government, and the essential parts of it. 6. The several Forms of Polity, with their principal Advantages and Disadvantages. 7. The Rights of Governours, how far they extend. 8. The Ways in which Supreme Power is acquired; how far just. 9. Of the Nature of Civil Laws and their Execution. 10. The Laws of Peace and War. 11. The Duration of the Politick Union; and the Conclusion. Excerpt from Chapter 9 A Contract is "the consent of two or more in "the same design, mutually expressed with a "view to constitute or abolish some right or "obligation." We have already seen the necessity of frequent translations of property by consent of the proprietor, and of a constant, social intercourse of offices among men in giving mutual assistance. The law of nature requires and obliges us all to be ready voluntarily to do all kind offices in our power, and every good man is thus disposed; and yet express contracts about them are necessary among the best of men. For tho' men are obliged to social offices, yet they are not bound, except humanity to the indigent requires it, to give their goods or labours to others for nothing. Such obligation would have all the bad effects of a community of goods. The wealthy need more frequently the labours of the indigent, and the indigent must be supported by the compensations they get for them. There must be mutual agreements about these things. . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Windham Press is committed to bringing the lost cultural heritage of ages past into the 21st century through high-quality reproductions of original, classic printed works at affordable prices. This book has been carefully crafted to utilize the original images of antique books rather than error-prone OCR text. This also preserves the work of the original typesetters of these classics, unknown craftsmen who laid out the text, often by hand, of each and every page you will read. Their subtle art involving judgment and interaction with the text is in many ways superior and more human than the mechanical methods utilized today, and gave each book a unique, hand-crafted feel in its text that connected the reader organically to the art of bindery and book-making. We think these benefits are worth the occasional imperfection resulting from the age of these books at the time of scanning, and their vintage feel provides a connection to the past that goes beyond the mere words of the text.

Moral Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction is a compact yet comprehensive book offering an explication and critique of the major theories that have shaped philosophical ethics. Engaging with both historical and contemporary figures, this book explores the scope, limits, and requirements of morality. DeNicola traces our various attempts to ground morality: in nature, in religion, in culture, in social contracts, and in aspects of the human person such as reason, emotions, caring, and intuition.