Hume's Moral Philosophy and Contemporary Psychology

Recent work at the intersection of moral philosophy and the philosophy of psychology has dealt mostly with Aristotelian virtue ethics. The dearth of scholarship that engages with Hume's moral philosophy, however, is both noticeable and peculiar. Hume's Moral Philosophy and Contemporary Psychology demonstrates how Hume's moral philosophy comports with recent work from the empirical sciences and moral psychology. It shows how contemporary work in virtue ethics has much stronger similarities to the metaphysically thin conception of human nature that Hume developed, rather than the metaphysically thick conception of human nature that Aristotle espoused. It also reveals how contemporary work in moral motivation and moral epistemology has strong affinities with themes in Hume's sympathetic sentimentalism.

Philip A. Reed is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Canisius College, USA where he also codirects the Ethics and Justice Programs. His main areas of interest are in ethics, political philosophy, and moral psychology. His articles on Hume's moral psychology appear in such places as History of Philosophy Quarterly, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, and Canadian Journal of Philosophy. He has also published articles in Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, and Christian Bioethics. Rico Vitz is Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Azusa Pacific University, USA and serves as the Executive Vice President-Treasurer of the Hume Society. He is the author of Reforming the Art of Living: Nature, Virtue, and Religion in Descartes's Epistemology, co-editor of The Ethics of Belief: Individual and Social, and the editor of Turning East: Contemporary Philosophers and the Ancient Christian Faith.

Introduction: Hume's Moral Philosophy and Contemporary Psychology: An Overview Philip A. Reed 1. Beyond the "Disease of the Learned": Hume on Passional Disorders Margaret Watkins 2. Hume on the Rarity of Virtue Philip A. Reed 3. Spontaneity, Intuition, and Humean Virtue Erin Frykholm 4. Character, Culture, and Humean Virtue Ethics: Insights from Situationism and Confucianism Rico Vitz 5. Empahty, Autism, and Hume Katharina Paxman Renick 6. Cultivating Empathic Concern and Altruistic Motivation: Insights from Hume and Batson Annette Pierdziwol 7. Preserving Practicality: In Defense of Hume's Sympathy-Based Ethics Lorenzo Greco 8. Hume, Bloom, and Moral Inclusion Anne Jacobson 9. Empathy, Interdependency, and Morality: Building from Hume's Account Lorraine Besser 10. The Philosophical Power of Hume's Notion of Love Christine Swanton 11. Hume on the Methods and Limits of the Science of Human Nature Saul Traiger 12. Hume on Moral Motivation Michael Gill 13. Passionate Regulation and the Practicality of Reason Elizabeth Radcliffe 14. Hume on Affective Leadership Eric Schliesser Conclusion: Hume's Moral Philosophy and Contemporary Psychology: Future Directions Rico Vitz