https://philosophie-delor.github.io/en/categories/david-hume/Recent content in David Hume on Philosophie-DelorHugoenFrieder DelorMon, 12 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0200https://philosophie-delor.github.io/en/philosophy/Sat, 15 Aug 2026 19:38:41 +0200https://philosophie-delor.github.io/en/philosophy/<p>This section contains my contributions to philosophy. Its main focus is ethics and metaethics, especially the development of a naturalistic and evolutionary ethics.</p> <p>A central subject of my work is the is-ought problem. I examine why traditional and contemporary ethical theories fail to provide a satisfactory foundation for ethics, and develop a positive reconstruction on that basis.</p> <p>The section also includes foundational work, critical essays, and reviews. Some of these texts use satire. The satirical elements serve to illustrate the arguments, improve accessibility, and provide entertainment. The underlying criticism is nevertheless meant seriously.</p>https://philosophie-delor.github.io/en/critics/Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0200https://philosophie-delor.github.io/en/critics/<p>This section contains critical discussions of philosophical theories, arguments, and books. Its main focus is on ethical and metaethical approaches, their assumptions, and their explanatory power.</p> <p>The articles examine both classical positions and contemporary theories. They include criticism of Kant, ontic ethics, speech-act theory, and more recent approaches in moral philosophy. Some texts also review philosophical books and analyze their arguments.</p>https://philosophie-delor.github.io/en/ethics/hume_is_ought/Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://philosophie-delor.github.io/en/ethics/hume_is_ought/<h1 id="humes-isought-problem-and-its-solution">Hume’s Is–Ought Problem and Its Solution<a class="anchor" href="#humes-isought-problem-and-its-solution" aria-label="Link"></a></h1> <h2 id="is-and-ought">Is and Ought<a class="anchor" href="#is-and-ought" aria-label="Link"></a></h2> <p>David Hume (1739/1978, T 3.1.1.27) observes in the <em>Treatise of Human Nature</em> that moral philosophers often begin by speaking about facts. They write about what is the case, how people act, what properties they possess, or what conditions obtain in the world. Then, within the same argument, an “ought” or “ought not” appears. Hume notes that this transition often occurs without explanation. Texts begin with statements about what is and then move to statements about what ought to be, without explaining what justifies this new claim.</p>