According to David Hume, the essence of justice is vital to the success of any society. David Hume also asserts that certain benefits associated with justice usually arise from that basis that it may be superfluous, particularly when individuals implement initiatives to develop its proof (Hume 10). David Hume also believes that the primary origin of Justice is social utility. The benefits or advantages of justice in his opinion are founded on virtues. He is also of the opinion that stakeholders should engage in in-depth inquiry of virtues as the foundation of the benefits of justice. From a personal perspective, I believe that this is one of the strengths of Hume’s argument that justice is a subject of social utility. Social virtues are usually regarded as characteristics that not only benefit an individual but also the entire society. Most communities require individuals to behave or exhibit virtuous behaviors. In fact, a significant number of countries, communities or states have implemented legal structures that encourage virtuous acts or behaviors.
Besides, the introduction of religious doctrines together with the belief in after life as well as the belief in the existence of a supernatural being is one of the strategies societies have implemented to encourage virtuous acts (Hume 10). Religion has been used for many decades to control human acts; communities use religious to guide human behavior and promote positive behaviors. Taking these issues into consideration, I believe that David Hume is right when he alleges or argues that justice is based on virtue and is a subject of social utility. Social utility seeks to ensure that certain characteristics benefit individuals and the entire society. Actions that do not harm other people or cause damage to various social structures including relations are considered just, hence, it is appropriate to assert, justice is a subject of social utility.
Hume goes further and provides an example of the relationship between Humans and Natural resources. He insinuates that in an event, Humans are in a position to accrue the most benefits from natural resources, without experiencing scarcity or competition as well as the need to utilize industrial resources to engage in exploitation, then there would be no need for justice (Hume 11). He poses a question, trying to explore whether it would be necessary to partition natural resources in an event that every individual is satisfied with the amount of resources they have acquired from the environment. In such events, justice is basically useless; in fact, Hume considers justice in such events as mere ceremonial issues and may not be considered within the aspects of virtues.
The other most interesting argument Hume introduces to support the fact that justice is subject to social utility is the concept of common goods. He argues that when humans are bestowed by certain resources in abundant amounts, the resources are usually considered or categorized as common goods and should therefore benefit the entire community. In his perspective, the use of common good resources is usually characterized by lack of partitions of subdivisions. He goes ahead and mentions that the use of common good resources is guided by the general belief that they do not belong to a single individual. Individuals using such resources are expected to ensure that they do not engage in lavish or selfish utilization. In his opinion, the selfish use of such resources is considered an act of injustice and may be punished by Law (Hume 10). David Hume gives an example of fertile land in certain pastoralist regions where communities are at liberty to utilize as they desire, ensuring that their actions are sustainable and do not jeopardize the capacity of other individuals to benefit from same resources.
I think Hume’s aim in the introduction of the concept of common good is to describe how social utility is encouraged by global communities. His assertions that the use of such resources is guides by laws that prohibit lavish use is an indication that massive resources are required to benefit communities on an equal basis. Therefore, the introduction of laws that regulate utilization of common good resources creates a platform for promotion of justice or the concept of fairness.
According to David Hume, the concept of justice and equity are only applicable depending on the conditions or events in which an individual is placed (Hume 12). When a man is placed in a society characterized by the existence of strict laws as well as regular observation, they are likely to behave in a desirable manner. In such scenarios, positive behaviors are considered imperative for meeting a particular utility (Hume 12). However, by subjecting an individual in a condition that is not regulated by any law or regular observation, there is higher likelihood that they may engage in extreme behaviors. For example, lack of laws and regulations may trigger barbaric acts among individuals, hence, jeopardize social utility.
The above argument is one of the best explanations Hume provides to support the fact that justice depends on social utility. As mentioned earlier, societies implement laws and rules to guide human behavior. Many communities have also established law enforcement agencies including police department to ensure that individual behaviors are in accordance with established rules. For example, governments have introduced police patrol activities that are meant to provide constant observation of activities performed by communities and individuals. The purpose of these law enforcement agencies or organizations therefore is to ensure that the concept of social utility is promoted, hence promoting justice. It is therefore correct to conclude that there is a strong relationship between social utility and Justice. I believe that social utility is a condition desired by communities or individuals. For instance, communities desire peaceful environments characterized by the existence of equal opportunities. Many civil rights organizations consider the existence of such conditions as just or fair. In summary, it can be concluded that the above arguments presents that best explanations concerning Hume’s assertions that Justice depends entirely on Social Utility.
Work Cited
Hume, David. An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals. Start Publishing LLC, 2013.
