poses a separate being in these
moral distinctions, and a being, which depends only on the will and
appetite, and which, both in thought and reality, may be distinguished
from the reason. Animals are susceptible of the same relations, with
respect to each other, as the human species, and therefore would also be
susceptible of the same morality, if the essence of morality consisted
in these relations. Their want of a sufficient degree of reason may
hinder them from perceiving the duties and obligations of morality,
but can never hinder these duties from existing; since they must
antecedently exist, in order to their being perceived. Reason must find
them, and can never produce them. This argument deserves to be weighed,
as being, in my opinion, entirely decisive.

Nor does this reasoning only prove, that morality consists not in any
relations, that are the objects of science; but if examined, will prove
with equal certainty, that it consists not in any matter of fact, which
can be discovered by the understanding. This is the second part of our
argument; and if it can be made evident, we may conclude, that morality
is not an object of reason. But can there be any difficulty in proving,
that vice and virtue are not matters of fact, whose existence we can
infer by reason? Take any action allowed to be vicious: Wilful murder,
for instance. Examine it in all lights, and see if you can find that
matter of fact, or real existence, which you call vice. In which-ever
way you take it, you find only certain passions, motives, volitions
and thoughts. There is no other matter of fact in the case. The vice
entirely escapes you, as long as you consider the object. You never can
find it, till you turn your reflection into your own breast, and find a
sentiment of disapprobation, which arises in you, towards this action.
Here is a matter of fact; but it is the object of feeling, not of
reason. It lies in yourself, not in the object. So that when you
pronounce any action or character to be vicious, you mean nothing,
but that from the constitution of your nature you have a feeling or
sentiment of blame from the contemplation of it. Vice and virtue,
therefore, may be compared to sounds, colours, heat and cold, which,
according to modern philosophy, are not qualities in objects, but
perceptions in the mind: And this discovery in morals, like that other
in physics, is to be regarded as a considerable advancement of the
speculative sciences; th