The Argument over Morality: Kant and Hume Anonymous College

The phenomenon of morality and its origination has been a topic of debate throughout history. Specifically, the world renowned philosophers, David Hume and Immanuel Kant, come to a very significant disagreement over the history of morality, the source of its origin, and its universality. But, upon further inspection, it is evident that their diverging conclusions arise from very distinct methods of proof, analysis, and use of data. Hume, on one hand, seems to trust in experience over reason and subsequently offers a more experience-based derivation of morals. Kant, on the other hand, forms his whole argument with dependence on a progression of logic and stays within the metaphysical world of abstract thought and theoretical reasoning.

To begin, in his piece, Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, Hume claims that human sentiment is the origin of morality, and relies on experience contrived evidence and the fact that sentiment produces the same actions as morality to defend his claim. Human sentiment is majorly dominated by the feeling of benevolence, which to Hume, is what motivates a person to act in the interest of the species, and allows them to become conscious of and connect to others. Therefore, benevolence is also...