Moral Philosophy Week 2

Pride and Humility

These are simple impressions. Indirect passions

Pride- An agreeable impression, a kind of pleasure.

Humility- A disagreeable impression, a kind of pain

Pride and humility have the same object: the self

The Association of Ideas

Principles include- Resemblance, Contiguity, Causation

The Association of Impressions

Principles include- Resemblance

A disagreeable impression will naturally cause us to experience other disagreeable impressions

The Double Relation of Ideas and Impressions: Pride

Draw diagram

Intentional object

If I am angry at someone, that person is the intentional object of my anger

The Intrapersonal Operation of the Associations of Impressions:

Impression of Pleasure (sense of beauty)→ Natural Association of Impressions→ Impression of Pleasure (pride)

This does not account for the pride that arises from pleasure in another person’s mind, e.g. when someone is pleased with your house, which makes you feel proud of your house.

The Interpersonal Operation of Sympathy

(Another’s mind)- Impression of Pleasure (esteem)→ The Operation of Sympathy→ (My mind)- Impression of Pleasure (pride)

Sympathy

Sympathy is not a sentiment to Hume, it is a principle that coordinates the impressions of difference people. If my friend is happy, I form an idea of that happiness, my lively sense of self lends its energy to that idea of happiness, giving it a force and vivacity that converts to an impression. Now I feel happy. This is how sympathy works

Two Interpretations of Sympathy

Sympathy is a principle of communication, a kind of emotional contagion. Just as a contagious disease can be communicated from one to another, so can human emotion.

Sympathy is a principle of coordination. While some passions can be communicated from one to another, sympathy can give rise to pity in another person. Esteem and pride are distinct if complementary to passions. So, esteem in one person can give rise to pride in another.

Sympathy explains the secondary causes of pride

Sympathy summarised

Sympathy is not a passion, it is a fundamental principle that coordinates impressions in different people.

Unlike the principles of association, sympathy is an interpersonal as opposed to intrapersonal principle.

Sympathy is a principle of coordination rather than a principle of communication.

The Square of Passions

Draw Diagram