Knavery and Virtue in Humean Institutional Design

The Journal of Value Inquiry, Vol. 37, pp. 543–553, 2003

12 Pages Posted: 28 Mar 2012

Date Written: March 28, 2012

Abstract

This is Hume’s famous thesis expressing a central liberal idea that, since all politicians and political actors could be capable of knavery, checks are needed, and that rational institutional arrangements should be devised in such a way that opportunities for knavery are reduced, and that knavish impulses can be controlled and altered in direction to produce good, so that public interests will be respected and peaceful order maintained. Many philosophers have discussed Hume’s supposition of knavery. Several have considered Hume’s concept of self-interest, and the idea of public use of private interests. There has also been opposition to Hume’s supposition of universal knavery on the ground that this supposition offends and even devalues human dignity. For example, Ian Ayres and John Braithwaite have argued that Humean institutional design for knavery excludes a moral remedy for curing political problems and destroys the possibility of virtue.4 Does Humean institutional design really exclude virtue? How do we understand Humean institutional design and his supposition of knavery?

Suggested Citation

He, Baogang, Knavery and Virtue in Humean Institutional Design (March 28, 2012). The Journal of Value Inquiry, Vol. 37, pp. 543–553, 2003, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2030101

Baogang He (Contact Author)

Deakin University ( email )

School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Melbourne, Victoria 3217
Australia

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