ABSTRACT
"Justice" is David Hume's most common term for respect for property. On John Locke Locke's view, the obligation to respect property is an original moral obligation imposed through a divinely instituted natural law that exists prior to and independent of human conventions. This chapter considers whether Hume does allow that there is a first virtuous motive to justice other than a sense of duty or whether he denies it. It also considers whether he should allow that there is such a motive in light of his survey of the available options. The chapter describes whether he can consistently allow such a motive within the constraints of his conative psychology. Commentators have typically characterized Hume's Circle Argument as involving irreconcilable contradictions or difficulties; but with respect to these three questions, at least, Hume's use of the Circle Argument can be squared.
