《道德原则研究·作者告白·与《人性论》切割》第1节
Most of the principles, and reasonings, contained in this volume, were published in a work in three volumes, called A treatise Of Human Nature: A work which the Author had projected before he left College, and which he wrote and published not long after. But not finding it successful, he was sensible of his error in going to the press too early, and he cast the whole anew in the following pieces, where some negligences in his former reasoning and more in the expression, are, he hopes, corrected. Yet several writers who have honoured the Author's Philosophy with answers, have taken care to direct all their batteries against that juvenile work, which the author never acknowledged, and have affected to triumph in any advantages, which, they imagined, they had obtained over it: A practice very contrary to all rules of candour and fair-dealing, and a strong instance of those polemical artifices which a bigotted zeal thinks itself authorized to employ. Henceforth, the Author desires, that the following Pieces may alone be regarded as containing his philosophical sentiments and principles. I. Of the General Principles of Morals ii. Of Benevolence iii. Of Justice IV. Of Political Society V. Why Utility Pleases vi. Of Qualities Useful to Ourselves VII. Of Qualities Immediately Agreeable to Ourselves viii. Of Qualities Immediately Agreeable to Others IX. Conclusion I. Concerning Moral Sentiment ii. Of Self-love iii. Some Farther Considerations with Regard to Justice IV. Of Some Verbal Disputes
注释摘要
休谟在这一告白里做的不只是道歉，更是划界。他先承认本书的大部分原理与论证早在三卷本《人性论》里就发表过了——那是他离开学院前就构思、离校不久便匆忙写出并出版的作品。他把那部书的不成功归咎于一个判断错误：出书太早。随即他宣布，现在这部著作是他把整个体系重铸过的结果，他在从前的推理中看到了疏忽，在表达上尤其感到更不满意，并希望这些新作已将这些问题纠正过来。这里…