Hume’s social and moral economy

Hume is, in the same sense as Smith, a social philosopher. Finlay ( 2007 ) has argued that the extent of Hume’s interest in the social context of humankind has been underestimated with respect to the Treatise . It has been already shown through the analysis of selected passages from the Treatise that Hume sees humankind inherently in need of cooperation for survival, for self-definition, moral action and for fulfilment. This chapter focuses on the account given in the Enquiries of the means of realizing economic and social cooperation.