David Hume
Bibliography
David Hume (April 26, 1711 – August 25, 1776) was a Scottish philosopher, economist, and historian and is one of the most important thinkers in the Scottish Enlightenment
Adam Ferguson's contribution to the notion of spontaneous order
Hume advocates the concept of spontaneous order by arguing that all human knowledge comes to us through our perceptions or experiences: "By the term impression, then, I mean all our more lively perceptions, when we hear, or see, or feel, or love, or hate, or desire, or will.” He considers that it is our experiences that model our behavior and not reason. Rules, in Hume’s opinion, are not deliberately established. Rather, they are socially adopted as the benefit of respecting a certain cooperative behavior is larger then the cost of not doing so (25). Hume considers that as humans have limited altruism, it is very important for property rights to be implemented, as their adoption is in the public's best interest. However, this cannot be achieved through rationalist calculations (26).
-denied that moral political principles can be determined by freedom (Barry 22)
Hume also Hume's idea on private property is special—private property was not a natural right, but is justified since it is a limited good. If all goods were unlimited and available freely, then private property would not be justified, but instead becomes an “idle ceremonial”. Hume also believed in unequal distribution of property, since perfect equality would destroy the ideas of thrift and industry, which leads to impoverishment.
