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ID: 103754

David Hume and the politics of humanity / Hanley, Ryan Patrick

Hanley, Ryan Patrick	Journal Article
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2011.

Summary/Abstract

Recently a call has gone up for a revival of the "politics of humanity." But what exactly is the "politics of humanity"? For illumination this paper turns to Hume's analysis of humanity's foundational role in morality and modern politics. Its aims in so doing are twofold. First, it aims to set forth a new understanding of the unity of Hume's practical and epistemological projects in developing his justifications for and the implications of his remarkable and underappreciated claim that humanity is the only sentiment on which a moral system can be founded. Second, by attending to Hume's substantive definition of humanity and its relationship to benevolence and sympathy in particular, it aims to clarify the relationship between the principal elements of the politics of humanity: "humanism" or secularism, "humane" or other-directed values, and mutual recognition of our shared "humanness."

Key Words

Modernity ; Humanity ; Epistemology ; Sympathy ; Hume

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ID: 133028

Wisdom of the state: Adam Smith on China and Tartary / Hanley, Ryan Patrick

Hanley, Ryan Patrick	Journal Article
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Publication

2014.

Summary/Abstract

Adam Smith's engagement with China and Tartary is a central yet underappreciated element of his economic and political thought. This article reconstructs this engagement and demonstrates its broader significance, arguing that it focuses on three themes: the economic institutions that promote domestic growth in a manner that alleviates the material conditions of the poorest, the social and political conditions that minimize the dependence of the poor on the wealthy, and the ethical values and civic institutions that guarantee the existential survival of the state. This treatment is significant for three reasons: It offers useful insight into the contested issue of Smith's conception of legitimate state action; it clarifies Smith's vision of a commercial order that promotes human dignity; and it reveals the depth of his participation in a specific contextual debate.

Key Words

China ; Social Condition ; Economic Institutions ; Human Dignity ; Adam Smith ; Political Condition ;
Economic Thought ; Commercial Order ; Tartary ; Economic Condition ; Political Thought

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