An Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue

Francis Hutcheson is undoubtedly one of the most important philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment Movement. He had a great impact with his thoughts, especially on David Hume and Adam Smith. In his first book, An Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue, Hutcheson defends Shaftesbury against Bernard Mandeville's attacks and focuses on human nature. He puts forward benevolence against the egoism of Thomas Hobbes and the reward-punishment view of Samuel Pufendorf. In this regard, he designs his work in two parts by examining aesthetic and moral abilities. At first glance, beauty reveals that humans have an innate sense of beauty based on order, harmony and design. In the second analysis, he builds his moral views on this foundation. He argues that the public has a built-in moral sense in judging what is right and what is wrong. With such ideas, he managed to become the Chair of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow. His thoughts greatly influenced not only philosophers such as Hume, Smith, and Bentham, but also the founders of the United States.

(From the Promotional Bulletin)

Dough Type: 2nd Dough

Number of Pages: 280

Size: 13.5 x 21

First Print Year: 2020

Number of Printings: 1st Edition

Language Turkish