A Treatise of Human Nature

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BOOK II PART II


Now in order to know what passions are
related to these different kinds of sympathy,
we must consider, that benevolence is an orig-
inal pleasure arising from the pleasure of the
person beloved, and a pain proceeding from
his pain: From which correspondence of im-
pressions there arises a subsequent desire of
his pleasure, and aversion to his pain. In or-
der, then, to make a passion run parallel with
benevolence, it is requisite we should feel these
double impressions, correspondent to those of
the person, whom we consider; nor is any one
of them alone sufficient for that purpose. When
we sympathize only with one impression, and
that a painful one, this sympathy is related to
anger and to hatred, upon account of the un-
easiness it conveys to us. But as the extensive
or limited sympathy depends upon the force
of the first sympathy; it follows, that the pas-

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