The Science of a Legislator: The Natural Jurisprudence of David Hume and Adam Smith

248 Pages·1981·12.21 MB·English

by  Knud Haakonssen

THE SCIENCE OF AL EGISLATOR

THE SCIENCEO F
A LEGISLATOR
The NatuJruarils prudence
DaviHdu mea ndA damS mith
of
KNUD HAAKONSSEN
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
CAMBRIDGE
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LONDON NEW YdRK 'NEW·HOCHELLE
MELBOURNES YDNEY
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BritishC aLtiablroaigrnPuy ui bnlgi cDaattiao n
HaakonKnssuedn ,
Thes cieonfa cl ee gislator.
I.H ume,D avi17dn,- 1776-Law
2.S mith, 1A72d3a-9m10,7- Law
3.J urisprudence
I.T itle
340'.109 B1499.3L 80-42001
ISBN0 5212 3981 9
Contents
page
Acnkowedlgmeenst vii
Lisotf a bebvraiitons
viii
Chapt1e rI ntroduction
Chapt2e Hrum e'st heoorfyj ustice 4
1 Onet heooryr tw o? 4
2 Moraelv aluation 7
3 Them otivfeo jru st-icaed ilmma e 9
4 Theo riginosfj ustice 12
5 Nature anda rtifice 21
6 Property 27
7 Promises 29
8 Obligation 30
gT wod ifficulties 35
1 Toh ero leo fh istory 36
I IU tiliatyn dn aturjauls tice 39
Chapt3e rS mith'mso ralt heory 45
I Humean d Smitohn s ympatyh 45
2 Sympathayn dm oral approval 49
3 The mutualoifts yy mpathy 52
4 Commons tandairddse, aslta ndaarndsds, o ciaadla ptation 54
5 Generrulaels a ndm oralv alue 6I
6 Merita ndd emerit 63
7 Ther oloefu tility 67
8 Ther oloefr eligion 74
gT eleology 77
10M oratlh eoarnyd h uman knowledge 79
Chapte4r Smith'thse oroyf j ustiancde politics 83
I Positainvden egativvier tues 83
2 Justiacnedu tility 87
3 Politithcealo ry 89
4 Politaincdjs u stice 93
Conntste
vi
Chapt5e rS mith'analsy tical jurisprudence 99
1 Thel egasly stem 99
2 Rearli ghts 104
3 Persorniaglh ts 112
4 Deliocrtt ,h eooryf p unishment 114
5 Domestliacw 123
6 Pubilclaw 127
7 Lawsn aotfi ons 133
Chapt6e Srm ith's crjiuristpircuald ence 135
1 Introduction 135
2 Legareasl oning 136
3 Legaclr iticism 139
4 Thecr itipcroaglr amme 147
5 Theo bjeocftc r iticism 151
Chapt7e rS mith'hisst oricjaluri sprudence 154
1 Introduction 154
2 Primitsiovcei ety 155
3 Shephesrodc iety 157
4 Greecaned Rome 159
5 Thee mergenocfme o derEnu rope 165
6 Thed evelopmoefmn otd erlna w 171
Chapt8e rN atjuurraislp rudine nthcee f acoefh istory 178
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknoewdlgements
Iti sm yg repalte astuoar kcen owletdhgceeo nstrcunctt1icva1ens dm
genesruaplp oIrh ta vree ceidvuerdim nyg w orokn t hibso ofkr om
GeorEg.eD aviDeu,n caFno rbJeesr,e Fm.yG .S hearmuarn,dD onald
WincIha .m g ratteoft uhlEe d itoofHr u meS tuiedfso pre rmistsoi on
incorporatfer ommmya ' tHeurmiea'ls obHluimgSeat tuiiedovsno,sl' .,
xv,
no. 1179,8p ,p .7 -1.7
K.H.
Wellington
June1 980
Lisotfa bbreviations
DaviHdume :
E. AnE nqruyCi ocnerntihPnerg i pnlcoeifsM orals
T. A TreaotfHis uem aNna utre
AdaSmm ith:
AnderNsootne s FroJmo hAnnd ersonC'osmm onplBaocoevk o,1l ,.
AndersLoinbiraUannry i,v eorfsSi ttrya thclyde
Corr. Corproensdence
ED Eardlrya offTt h eW ealotfNh a tions
EPS Essaoyns PhiloSsubojcpethwsih,ci aiclnhc lude:
Ancient Ph'yHsiiscsot fot rhAyen ciPehnyts ics'
Astronomy 'HisotfoA rsyt ronomy'
ExterSneanls es' Oft hEex ternSaeln ses'
FA Firfsrta gmoentn htde i viosfli aobno ur
LJ(A) LeucrtoensJ urpiursdenRceep:oo rf1t7 6 23-
LJ(B) Lecetsou nrJ urpirsude:Rn ecpeodratt 1e76d6
LRBL Lecetsou nrR hertianocd B elLletetsr es
TMS ThTeh eyoo rfM orSaeln tism ent
WN AnI nuqiyr inttoh Nea tuarned Caoufts hees
WealotfNh a tniso
Seteh Bei bliogpr.2a 27,pf hodyre, t aiolfes d itions.
LJ(rAe)f erentcove osl uamnepd a goeft hoer igmiannauls cLrJi(pBt);
are
referaernteco ep sa goeft hoer igimnaanlu scBroitpahtr .ge i viennt he
edituisoenhd e rRee.f eretnoAc nedse rsoNno teEsD,,E PSF,A ,TM S,
andWN , usthee p aragrsyaspthie ntm h Gel asgoEwd itiAolonlt. h er
referaree ntcope asg es.
viii
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
Thea imo ft hibso oki st hreefofilrsdt:l tyo a rguteh aAtd am Smith
developae ndu mbeorf s uggestfiroonmsD aviHdu mei ntao newa nd
originaanls wetro t hep erennial philosophoicfha olw lqeugeaslt ion
criticiisps oms sibsleec;o ndtloys ,h owh owt hea nswewra st heb asifso r
Smiths'yss toefmn aturjaulr ispruadnedna csse u cthh ec oroefh ipso litical
thoughta;n dt hirdtloyg ,i vae systemaatcicco unotfS mithn'ast ural
jurisprudence.
Thersee emt oh aveb eent woo bvioauvse nuoepse nt oH umea ftehre
hadr ejectede xtihset i'nfgo undation-tohfem oorriaelsia'tn yd l aw,
accorditnogw hichm oraaln dl egale valuathiaodna n ultimaatned
validatsionugr ciene ithtehre r easonfinagc ultoyr a morasle nshee:
coulfidn da na lternat'ifvoeu ndatoiroh ne' ,c ouslhdit fhtep roblaewma y
fromt he queosftf ioounn datailotnosg etIhtme ary.b et emptitnoug n der­
stanhdi mi nt ermso ft hef ormers trat,ee gyspeciianhl ilthsye oryo fj ust,i ce
ifo nei nterprietto sn p roto-utilliitnaeTrshi.ea rna er eh,o wevegrr,e at
difficultiinte hsi ass,w es haslele p,a rtbleyc auosfet hem eaninhgeg ives
thet erm' utilaintdyp 'a,r tbleyc autsheii sn terprewtoautlildoe na ddi rectly
tot hek inodf l egaplo sitiwvhiiscmhh e s troncgrliyt icTihzees su.g gestion
tob ep ursuheedr et,h erefoirset ,h ahte s omehocwh angtehse p roblem.
He doenso td os ob yc ompletreeljye ctailntlga lokf f oundatiofnosrh, e
putfso rwahrdi wse ll-kneomwont ivtihseto ory ft heo riogifne v aluation.
Whatc hangtehses ituatiisho inis d etah aitto nlmya kesse nsteoa ska bout
thev alidoifte yv aluatiinto hnep articsuolcairca oln tewxhtisc ghi vceo n­
cretfeo rmt ot hee xpressoifto hnee motiobnesh intdh ee valuatWiiotnh.
thea dditiooftn h esseo ciaaln dh istordiicmaeln sitohnsep, r obletmh at
emergewda s:h ow are argumeanntd c riticipsoms siwbilteh ian g iven
moraaln dl egfalr amework?
Thet heoryo fj ustiicsoe f t heg reateismtp ortanicnHe u me and
althoughhe n evepru tfso rwaradn ythilnigka e s ysteomfn aturjaulr is­
prudencei,ti sq uitcel eatrh anta turjauls toiccceu pai veesry c entrpalla ce
-ifn ott hcee ntrpalla c-ei nh iosv eratlhle ooryfp olitTihcisis.s h,o w­
evenro,tp arotfo uri nterehsetr ei;th asr ecenbteelnyt reatseothd o roughly
thaitt w ouldb ei mpertinteongo t overt hes ameg rounadg ainT.h1e
intnetioinn t hef ollowing diosfcH uusmsei iossn mi plyt op reseannt
WP
Introduction
2
interpretoaftt hieo n theoofjry u sticient heT reaatnisdie n t hes econd
Enquwihriycw hi lmla kec leatrh en aturoeft hep hilosopthaiscawklh ich
it sfeotrA damS mitihn h isl egaplh ilosyo.Ap chcordinwgel syh alolf,
cour,s aelsor enountchee n earliyn exhaustfiubnldeo fo thepori ntso f
comparisaonnd c ontrabsett weetnh etw o thinke-risn tetirensga nd
importtahnotu gthh earey.
Thes ubtiotfthl ies b ooik st hunso ti ntendteoid n dictahtaeHt u mea nd
Smitwhi lble tr eatewdi the quaflu llnbeustst ,oc onvetyh es uggestion
thaitt w asH ume'ssp eculataiboonusjt u stiwchei chp utt hed ecisive
questiionan nss wetrow hicShm itdhe veloapw ehdo lnee wf oundatfoiro n
a sysotfen ma turjaulr isprudeAnsfc aer.a s th e systeimt sieslcf o ncern,e d
Smitwha so bviouvselrysy t ronignldye btetdh eCt oon tinennattaulr laalw
traditoifoG nr otiuPsu,f end,oa rnfdo therasn,de specitaolt lhyef orm
whicthh itsr adithiaodbn e egni vebny h ist each,Fe rrancHiust chesHoen .
wasa lso heianvfliuleyn cbeyMd o ntesquainedub yh iosl dm entoLro,r d
KarnesB.u tt heslee gacdieos n ot, eiintdhievri duoarlc loyl lecyt,i vel
produtchee p roblesmi tuatwihoincg ha veSm ithj'usr isprudietvnsec rey
specicahla racTtheirds.e rivefdr omH ume'qsu estaiboonu tth ep ossibility
ofl egaclr itic-iosrom f h owt oa voiad c omplerteel ati-viifsn me ither
naturanlolrdy i vingeilveyn s tandawredrsea vailabliest. h eIrte fnoorte
blindntoe sost heirm portainntfl uencbeusta, judgemeonftp riorities
whichl eaduss t oc oncentroant teh ec onnectbieotnw eeHnu me and
Smitihn t hep resesnttuy d.
WhilSem itwha su nhappwyi tht hes peciafincs wewrh icHhu meg ave
tot hep roblem phoesf eoldl,o wehdi lse aidn h owt oa pproaicthT. h is
approawcahs b asicya al mlatteorffi ndintgh ep rinciwphliecsmh a kei t
possitbolp eu rsuoer dinahruym ana imsi nw hatevseorc ial siwteu ation
ared ealiwnigt hB.u ti no rder ftoorm ulastuec phr inciipnla e wsay which
givetsh ema moret hanl ocaaln dm omentairmyp ortawnec es,ha ll need
threteh ingas g:e nersaolc isoy-cphologtihceaolory f m otivatai goenn,e ral
theoroyft heh istorpircoacle asnsd,s pecihfiics torkincoawll edogfet he
situatiionwn h icwhe arei nteresCtoends.e quenwtel fiyn,dt haStm ith's
jurisprudeinnctee graa theisos rtoyf l aww itha na nalyosfit hsef orces
whicshh aplea wa,n dt habto tah rep resupposfiotrti hoenp so ssiyb oifl it
critilcaiwBz.y is negpa rattihneag n aly,tt ihcec ritiacnadlt ,h eh istorical
sidoefsh iasr gumenatn,db yg ointgh routghhe v ariobursa nchoefts h e
jurisprudesnytsitaeflmr ome acha nglwee, s halgle ta fulvli ewo fh ow
hisa rgumenwto rkisn p ractiActe t.h es amet imew e shalolb taina
methodical aocfct ohuesn yts tem.
Whilteh ei mportaonfcS em ithi'dse aosfn aturjaulr isprudhaevnec e
beens tresisner de cesncth olar,2s t hhiephya ven evebre etnh es ubjeocfat
comprehensstiuvdeTy h.i iss p erhaps not siunvr iperowif st ihnesg t aotfe
ours ourcuenst irle centAllyt.h ouSgmhi thp romisae d' discouorns e'