Hume without Spontaneous Order

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Date
2015Author
Salter, John
Quotable link
http://dx.doi.org/10.22029/jlupub-435Abstract
The question whether it is possible to be both a Humean and a contractarian arises from the interpretation of Hume as a theorist of spontaneous order, a theory that is usually taken to be incompatible with contractarianism. I argue that this interpretation is unconvincing and anachronistic. The real reason why it is problematic to view Hume as a ... contractarian is not because he is proponent of spontaneous order, but because he is a virtue-ethicist. I argue that Hume adopted and elaborated on the natural law account of the origins of property as conventional, but provided a different and separate account of the obligation to respect property rights.
Original publication in
Rationality, markets, and morals: RMM 6 (2015), 26-38