ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Hume’s conception of justice by posing a series of specific questions about its nature: “is justice an artificial or a natural virtue?,” “what is its origin?,” and “why do people morally approve of justice?” It goes on to examine Hume’s answers to more general questions, namely “is there any independent standard of justice?” and “is it rational to be just?” Besides Hume’s famous and questionable identification of justice and property, his theory of justice offers a coherent analysis of justice as a convention of coordination, as an institution, and as a virtue.
