HUME'S POLITICAL THOUGHT has been variously character ized as archetypically conservative, as... more HUME'S POLITICAL THOUGHT has been variously character ized as archetypically conservative, as contractar ian, as utilitarian, and as an elaborate apology for the e ighteenth-century rul ing classes.' In examining Hume ' s politics, commentators have -wi th good r e a s o n f o c u s e d on Hume ' s account of justice in the Treatise, and they have seen his account o f justified rebellion as a mere appendage." But in doing so, they have ignored some crucial elements o f Hume ' s thought : history and context . T h e contextual e lements o f H u m e ' s thought are h idden to those who fail to look at what H u m e does and not jus t at what he says when he makes judgments in politics. H u m e , unlike most philosophers, is sensitive to history and to part icular political contexts. H e was in fact bet ter known as a historian than as a phi losopher until the twentieth century, and his History of England is his grandes t and, in some ways, his mos t impressive work.s H u m e fancies himself
Etude de la theorie morale de Hume qui rend compte de la nuance des caracteres et de la complexit... more Etude de la theorie morale de Hume qui rend compte de la nuance des caracteres et de la complexite des qualites qui definissent la variete des vertus. Soulignant le lien entre les traits de caracteres et l'explication des actions humaines, d'une part, et examinant l'ideal du caractere parfait, d'autre part, l'A. montre que l'unite des vertus ne se realise chez Hume qu'au niveau meme de la resolution pratique des conflits; si celle-ci ne peut avoir lieu, l'A. montre qu'il faut accepter de laisser la morale a l'etat de confusion ou sont les jugements du sens commun
In “‘Virtue Engineering’ and Moral Agency,” Fabrice Jotterand (2011) argues that the views of Ala... more In “‘Virtue Engineering’ and Moral Agency,” Fabrice Jotterand (2011) argues that the views of Aladsair MacInytre show why the whole transhumanist enterprise of moral enhancements is mistaken, built on the follies of modernity that have riddled moral philosophy since Hume. But I argue that Jotterand and MacIntyre misread the history of moral philosophy, and—more importantly—that Jotterand misdiagnoses the problem with the transhumanist project. What is right about his critique requires nothing of the MacIntyrean machinery he invokes. First, the history of moral philosophy. Like MacIntyre, Jotterand thinks moral philosophy went astray during the Enlightenment. Exhibit A for this mistake, they think, is the allegedly radical turn taken by David Hume:
Editors' Note: In WriteClick this week, the discussion centers on the Beversdorf et al. artic... more Editors' Note: In WriteClick this week, the discussion centers on the Beversdorf et al. article, “Animal extremists' threats to neurologic research continue: Neuroreality II,” and the controversies surrounding animal experimentation. Dr. Pistollato asks scientists to consider return on investment when beginning or continuing animal research, while Drs. Akhtar and Lopresti-Goodman both call for researchers to engage with critics and opponents in order to move science forward. The authors respond. Dr. Dees emphasizes that while there are many questions open to healthy debate, animal researchers should not be harassed. —Megan Alcauskas, MD, and Robert C. Griggs, MD Beversdorf et al.1 reviewed the tactics used by animal rights activists to oppose animal research and discussed appropriate responses. However, encouraging a defensive and strategic attitude will not advance scientific knowledge and progress. Within the scientific community, it would be worthwhile to discuss the actual value of animal models in several areas of biomedical research. For instance, murine models have been extensively used to depict genetic, molecular, and cellular traits of Alzheimer disease (AD). Data generated from animal experimentation have led to many clinical studies, yet there is still no meaningful treatment to improve the course of AD in humans.2,–,4 This disconnect cannot be ignored any longer, for the welfare of both humans and nonhuman animals. If the goal of biomedical research is to advance human …
If all politics is local, then any sensible political theory must be sensitive to the fine-graine... more If all politics is local, then any sensible political theory must be sensitive to the fine-grained features of the political landscape. No one thinks that one form of government is best for every situation, and a theory that fails to accommodate ‘local knowledge’ runs the risk of irrelevance. Yet we also think that political philosophy must rise above the particularities of context and transcend the muck-a-muck of daily politics. Most theories, however, leave only a secondary role for context. They see it either as the basis for an excuse or merely as the data that must be plugged into a predetermined agenda. On the first view, contexts are only relevant when they prevent a society from achieving whatever the view regards as the best government for humans. If a society lacks the conceptual, technological, or economic resources to attain the best form of government, then its context absolves it from charges of illegitimacy. We find this view reflected in the attitudes of, say, those Americans who think every country should be a liberal democracy, but admit that some places are not yet developed enough to realize such a society.
HUME'S POLITICAL THOUGHT has been variously character ized as archetypically conservative, as... more HUME'S POLITICAL THOUGHT has been variously character ized as archetypically conservative, as contractar ian, as utilitarian, and as an elaborate apology for the e ighteenth-century rul ing classes.' In examining Hume ' s politics, commentators have -wi th good r e a s o n f o c u s e d on Hume ' s account of justice in the Treatise, and they have seen his account o f justified rebellion as a mere appendage." But in doing so, they have ignored some crucial elements o f Hume ' s thought : history and context . T h e contextual e lements o f H u m e ' s thought are h idden to those who fail to look at what H u m e does and not jus t at what he says when he makes judgments in politics. H u m e , unlike most philosophers, is sensitive to history and to part icular political contexts. H e was in fact bet ter known as a historian than as a phi losopher until the twentieth century, and his History of England is his grandes t and, in some ways, his mos t impressive work.s H u m e fancies himself
Etude de la theorie morale de Hume qui rend compte de la nuance des caracteres et de la complexit... more Etude de la theorie morale de Hume qui rend compte de la nuance des caracteres et de la complexite des qualites qui definissent la variete des vertus. Soulignant le lien entre les traits de caracteres et l'explication des actions humaines, d'une part, et examinant l'ideal du caractere parfait, d'autre part, l'A. montre que l'unite des vertus ne se realise chez Hume qu'au niveau meme de la resolution pratique des conflits; si celle-ci ne peut avoir lieu, l'A. montre qu'il faut accepter de laisser la morale a l'etat de confusion ou sont les jugements du sens commun
In “‘Virtue Engineering’ and Moral Agency,” Fabrice Jotterand (2011) argues that the views of Ala... more In “‘Virtue Engineering’ and Moral Agency,” Fabrice Jotterand (2011) argues that the views of Aladsair MacInytre show why the whole transhumanist enterprise of moral enhancements is mistaken, built on the follies of modernity that have riddled moral philosophy since Hume. But I argue that Jotterand and MacIntyre misread the history of moral philosophy, and—more importantly—that Jotterand misdiagnoses the problem with the transhumanist project. What is right about his critique requires nothing of the MacIntyrean machinery he invokes. First, the history of moral philosophy. Like MacIntyre, Jotterand thinks moral philosophy went astray during the Enlightenment. Exhibit A for this mistake, they think, is the allegedly radical turn taken by David Hume:
Editors' Note: In WriteClick this week, the discussion centers on the Beversdorf et al. artic... more Editors' Note: In WriteClick this week, the discussion centers on the Beversdorf et al. article, “Animal extremists' threats to neurologic research continue: Neuroreality II,” and the controversies surrounding animal experimentation. Dr. Pistollato asks scientists to consider return on investment when beginning or continuing animal research, while Drs. Akhtar and Lopresti-Goodman both call for researchers to engage with critics and opponents in order to move science forward. The authors respond. Dr. Dees emphasizes that while there are many questions open to healthy debate, animal researchers should not be harassed. —Megan Alcauskas, MD, and Robert C. Griggs, MD Beversdorf et al.1 reviewed the tactics used by animal rights activists to oppose animal research and discussed appropriate responses. However, encouraging a defensive and strategic attitude will not advance scientific knowledge and progress. Within the scientific community, it would be worthwhile to discuss the actual value of animal models in several areas of biomedical research. For instance, murine models have been extensively used to depict genetic, molecular, and cellular traits of Alzheimer disease (AD). Data generated from animal experimentation have led to many clinical studies, yet there is still no meaningful treatment to improve the course of AD in humans.2,–,4 This disconnect cannot be ignored any longer, for the welfare of both humans and nonhuman animals. If the goal of biomedical research is to advance human …
If all politics is local, then any sensible political theory must be sensitive to the fine-graine... more If all politics is local, then any sensible political theory must be sensitive to the fine-grained features of the political landscape. No one thinks that one form of government is best for every situation, and a theory that fails to accommodate ‘local knowledge’ runs the risk of irrelevance. Yet we also think that political philosophy must rise above the particularities of context and transcend the muck-a-muck of daily politics. Most theories, however, leave only a secondary role for context. They see it either as the basis for an excuse or merely as the data that must be plugged into a predetermined agenda. On the first view, contexts are only relevant when they prevent a society from achieving whatever the view regards as the best government for humans. If a society lacks the conceptual, technological, or economic resources to attain the best form of government, then its context absolves it from charges of illegitimacy. We find this view reflected in the attitudes of, say, those Americans who think every country should be a liberal democracy, but admit that some places are not yet developed enough to realize such a society.
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