Aristotle, Hume and Virtue Morality

It seems that the differences between Aristotle’s and Hume’s philosophical foundations minimize the possibility of subsuming the two scholars under the same ethical theory. Hume’s empiricism and Aristotle’s rationalism imply several epistemological consequences for the field of ethics. This difference may be clarified by examining their positions concerning status and definition of “virtue” and “happiness”, as well as through exploration of the role of practical wisdom in epistemology based on Aristotle’s ethics. Likewise, exploring the role of sensations in order to recognize the moral rules and the slavery of reason to sensations in Hume’s ethics may prove adequately well.In spite of these differences, this article attempts to justify the idea that Hume belongs to Aristotle’s theory of virtue ethics. We may link Hume’s opinions to Aristotle’s and justify the connection through the close relation between reason and sensation, the dominance of reason over sensation in recognizing the rules, the significance of the role of virtues in this recognition, and, finally, the role of pleasure in the evaluation of moral actions.