Justice In David Hume's Artifial Virtues

Even though he had classified justice as one of the artifial virtues, he later identifies it, along with benevolence, as a social virtue. He argues that although benevolence is necessary for self-enjoyment, it cannot be reduced entirely to self-interest as the Hobbesians think but tends rather to promote social welfare. While benevolence is an original principle in human nature, justice is not. The need for rules of justice is not universal. It arises only under conditions of relative scarcity, where property has to be regulated to preserve order in society. For Hume the language of morality implies some sentiment common to all mankind, which recommends the same object for general approval. It also implies some universal and comprehensive