An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals - Hume

I definitely agree with Hume that both reason and sentiment/passion constitute morality.  Reason and passion are not separate realms to me - they are one, a continuum within a circle.  Why does western traditions tend to create seemingly so much more dichotomy than eastern traditions?

I think about my veganism and my very, very strong feelings on animals.  I care about animals.  I care deeply for my companion dog, Kaslo. To me, the thought of eating meat is akin to the thought of eating Kaslo.  That is how strong my feelings are.  While I have multiple rational reasons for not consuming or using any animal or animal by products, it is really my sentiment on animals that acts as the glue that holds my rational thoughts together.

That said, I do not know if I would say that passion trumps reason or vice versa.  They're both important in their own ways.  Some of Hume's writings reminds me of Mencius' writings.  Hume talks about the utility of morality in which one acts never fully in self-interest but in the interest of others/public whole.  Morality and good conduct helps to maintain a sense of order, civility and justice in society.  This is reminiscent of Mencius' theory that duty/benevolence to family will create a domino effect of duty/benevolence to society, to the state, etc.  The benefits of morality increases exponentially from one to many.  Morality is definitely a good system of governance if it works - if in theory, people abide by good morals and do their duties to themselves, to family, to friends, to society.

Love the shift away from abstract and religious dogma of morality that we have been reading so much of.

Afterclass thoughts: I will still have to agree that while sometimes the is and the ought cannot be reconciled logically, we feel that there is a right and a wrong action.  Rationalism is a great way to organize one's thoughts but rationalism is not universal, especially in the realm of spirituality and morality.  Perhaps that is why the union of strong sentiments that accompany rational thoughts is called the thinking heart by Mencius.  Even in the West, the heart is used as a symbol for benevolence and compassion.  Sentiment and rationalism are both important elements in our decision-making process - they cannot be separated or be pitted against each other.