Humean Rationality: More Than Purely Instrumental?

La racionalidad humeana: ¿más que puramente instrumental?

José Luis Tasset
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José Luis Tasset: Professor of Moral Philosophy, University of A Corunna, Spain

Iberian Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 7-17

Abstract: David Hume’s theory of practical rationality has been analysed in detail in the history of ethical, political, and economic thought. It is often ascribed a purely instrumental conception of rationality, in which practical reasons are merely instruments to achieve desired ends. This paper aims to challenge this interpretation by arguing that while Hume criticises the role of reason in practical decision-making, his theory of practical rationality is much more complex and contains normative elements.In his Lectures on the History of Moral Philosophy, John Rawls formulates and develops this standard inter-pretation of Hume in a paradigmatic way by claiming that his theory of rationality is purely empirical, psycho-logical and instrumental. Rawls argues that Hume does not provide a solid foundation for morality, leading to the conclusion that practical rationality is simply a matter of coherence between means and ends. However, it can be argued conclusively that Rawls ignores the complexity of Humean theory itself. Hume’s critique of reason does not imply that it lacks a normative foundation. Rather, it suggests a reconfiguration of how we should understand morality and rationality.

Keywords: David Hume; John Rawls; instrumental rationality; normative rationality; scepticism; levels of morality; levels of rationality.; David Hume; John Rawls; racionalidad instrumental; racionalidad normativa; escepticismo; niveles de moralidad; niveles de racionalidad.; David Hume; John Rawls; racionalidade instrumental; racionalidade normativa; ceticismo; níveis de moralidade; níveis de racionalidade. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B12 B15 C70 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.5209/ijhe.102540

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