Hume ultimately defends a theory according to which the fundamental feature of virtues is "...the possession of mental qualities, 'useful' or 'agreeable' to the 'person himself' or to 'others'" (EPM, §10, ¶1).
休謨最終捍衛了一種理論，根據這種理論，美德的基本特徵是“......擁有心理素質，對'人本人'或'他人'有用'或' 可接受'”（EPM，§10，¶ 1）。