Hume, Bentham and Mill 83kinds, original and secondary: the first are sense impressions,
while the second class belong to the passions, or feelings and
emotions, excluding bodily pleasure and pain, which are original
impressions. This is how simple ideas are formed.
Hume expands this concept by further explaining the union of
simple ideas to form complex ones by means of association.
There are three forms of association: resemblance, contiguity in
time or place, and cause and effect. Resemblance is the impulse
to think about things which look alike. A picture of a tree reminds
us of an actual tree. Contiguity results from relationships that
exist in proximity, e.g., mention one hotel and other hotels come
to mind. Cause and effect is evident when we think of a plane
crash and associate it with a loss of life. These are the means by
which ideas are connected in the imagination and then are united
with other associated ideas in the memory.
Hume contends that moral distinctions are derived not from
reasoning, but from the moral sentiment. The basis for moral
judgment is neither reason nor response to contemporary events.
Moral judgment occurs when the sentiment of approval or
disapproval is applied. If something pleases a person, the person
considers it “good,” conversely when a person is displeased, he
cites the source of his displeasure as “bad.” All moral judgments,
then, are the product of a personal response to a personal sensory
experience. Morality is not discovered through reason. It is
based upon the actions of people in response to emotional
stimuli. As a matter of fact, Hume contends that, “reason is, and
ought to be the slave of the passions.” This is not to say that
reason does not exist, but rather, it exists as an instrument of
passion, not as a sole sufficient cause to action. A person does not
rationally decide on a course of action. He uses reason to justify
an action that he considers to be “good” on the basis of his
personal sensory experience.
“Morality, therefore, is more properly felt than judged of.”
Virtue also consists of approval and disapproval. A virtuous act,
or person, gives the feeling of pleasure and approval. Acts which
cause a feeling of displeasure or disapproval are considered
unvirtuous. When, however, we do not feel personally, we still
can understand the feelings through what Hume calls “sympa
thy.”
By sympathy Hume means, not the specific feeling or emo