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Ideas for 'Locke on Human Understanding', 'Leviathan' and 'Lectures on the Philosophy of (World) History'

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2 ideas

22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / h. Expressivism

2360	'Good' is just what we desire, and 'Evil' what we hate [Hobbes]
	Full Idea: Whatsoever is the object of any man's appetite or desire, that is it which he for his part calleth 'Good'; and the object of his hate or aversion 'Evil'.
	From: Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan [1651], 1.06)
	A reaction: This meets the Frege-Geach Problem - that we can have these feelings while reading ancient history, but we can't possibly 'desire' any of that. This is better on evil than on good.

22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / j. Ethics by convention

2368	Men's natural desires are no sin, and neither are their actions, until law makes it so [Hobbes]
	Full Idea: The desires and other passions of man are in themselves no sin. No more are the actions that proceed from those passions, till they know a law that forbids them.
	From: Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan [1651], 1.13)
	A reaction: That is a pretty flat rejection of natural law, as you might expect from an empiricist. So prior to the first law-making, no one ever did anything wrong? Hm.