Biography
David Hume argued that you cannot derive an 'ought' from an 'is' and that morality is rooted in feeling rather than reason — the backbone of emotivism and a critique of rationalist ethics.
Key Ideas
- The is–ought gap.
- Reason as 'slave of the passions'.
- Sentiment as the basis of morality.
Topics Appearing In
Key Quotes
“Reason is, and ought only to be, the slave of the passions.”David Hume
Exam Importance
Use across Meta-Ethics and against Kant (reason cannot motivate) and Natural Law (is–ought).