A Treatise of Human Nature

Hume turns to what he describes as “artificial virtues,” which are virtues that come out of social and cultural norms. Specifically, Hume contemplates why he would pay back a loan a person gave him, asking if he would pay him back just because he was “train’d up according to a certain discipline and education” (351) or if he would pay him back in a world where ideas of justice are cruder. These questions lead Hume to assert that an action is only seen as a virtue if it shows that a person has a virtuous motive. For Hume, there is no virtuous motive for justice located within human nature. Our concern for the public good and our desire for a good reputation does not cover all cases of justice; our concern for our loved ones does not explain why justice is a universal value and our self-interest often works against justice. Hume concludes instead that the idea that justice is a social invention is “obvious and absolutely necessary” (536).

Using justice as a social construct as a starting point, Hume investigates why justice is invented. Justice comes out of mutual self-interest in order to have a functioning society that can manage and protect our rights, our property, and obligations to each other (542).