Hume An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals

Yay!!! I finished it! Since I didn't post on the first reading of this book I'm just going to post on the whole book now. This one was much easier to read and it was really more of a condenced version of the Treatise of Human Nature, so I may get a little confused as to what was said in what book.
I think my biggest problem concerning Hume is not his ideas and philosophies, it is more trying to make sense of his philosophies. Trying to fight through an archaic writing style, especially when the content is so complex.
In Sections 1-4 Hume continues with his themes of virtue and the origins of virtue (or the general source of morals). Hume's main argument is that morals and virtuous behavior are a product of the passions (feelings/emotions) and not of reason. As in the first book, the passions are responsible for what we want, pleasure is our goal and pain is what we try to avoid, the passions decide what we want and reason, which wants nothing, directs the passions in the appropriate fashion in order to fulfill the goals of the passions. He argues that the ancients' theory that virtue is a conformity to reason is false, reason cannot discern between vice and virtue because it cannot feel.
Moral theory, which teaches the difference between virtue (beautiful/amiable) and vice (ugly/odious) which begs the question: Is morality conditioned? Hume answers that moral beauty is an inherent sense that is conditioned by reasoning. Morals (at least those natural virtues) must be naturally inherent in every human being, because if we lacked the capacity to recognize right from wrong, or to recognize different virtues, then we would have had no basis for comparison, the concept of morality would not exist.
Justice is a main focus for Hume. Hume says that if there was abundance every where and humans wanted for nothing there would be no need for the artificial concept of justice. Justice arises when there is scarcity there is need and people begin to fight and steal and justice keeps them in line. Punishment, however, is a suspension of justice...
Hume also tackles the leveling principal, or the idea of the communist society, where everything, all resources are distributed equally among the population. Hume says this is impossible and I agree, for the same reasons that he gives. Equally distributing resources would actually cause starvation of the masses, there would no longer be a system of merit so all those people that are useful are held back by their ability and those who are not benifit off the sweat of others. There would also be no one in charge because a leader would naturally be above everyone else. So personal property is a good thing; if it is bought, earned or inherited it is your's and no one should contest that right.

It is late and I have more homework. I'll add to this post or make a new one for sections 5-9