David hume's Utilitarianism
Hume and other members of the Scottish Enlightenment may also be the first philosophers to argue that moral principles should be explained by their utilitarianism. Hume's role should not be overestimated, because Francis hutcheson was the first person to put forward the most famous slogan of utilitarianism, "Great Happiness for the Most People". However, it was when Jeremy Bentham read Hume's theory of human nature that he felt the powerful persuasion of utilitarianism. He described himself as "the balance of morality fell from his eyes". However, it is worth noting that Hume's view is actually very different from modern utilitarianism. Hume does not think that the "utilitarianism" gathered by cardinal sorting represents moral truth. On the contrary, Hume holds the view of moral emotionalism, so he thinks that moral principles cannot be confirmed by human knowledge. Some principles will be accepted by us, but others will not. The moral principle of utilitarianism will be accepted by us because it can promote the interests of ourselves and other people we sympathize with. From this perspective, Hume explained how human beings view a series of social phenomena: from various social systems to government policies, and even human character and talent.