The Role of Sympathy in Humes Ethical Theory - Essay Example

Critical Examine the Role of Sympathy in Hume’s Ethical Theory

Introduction

David Hume (1711-1776) is one of the most influential philosophers in the modern context. From a moral perspective, Hume does maintain the fact that ethics emanates from the feelings of pleasure, as well as the pain of a critical sort rather than reason. From this perspective, morals tend to concern affections and actions, thus, impossibility to adhere to reason. Additionally, Hume believes on the influence of reason in influencing individuals in two critical ways. In the first instance, reasoning is valuable in information the individuals on the existence of diverse objects. Secondly, reasoning is crucial in the deliberation of the means towards the achievement of an end, which individual desires. The purpose of this critical essay is to examine and explore the role of sympathy in agreement with Hume’s ethical perspective or theory.

Role of Sympathy for Hume

According to David Hume, actions emanates from the feelings of the human beings. From this perspective, individuals have the tendency to adhere to their pain and pleasure as the primary motivators of their actions. Readers of Hume’s ethical perceptions and writings tend to demonstrate awareness of the continual insistence of the fact that an action can never relate to an object of the moral approval, as well as disapproval. In this context, Hume believes that the agent’s motive or character is the only aspect of moral valuation of the object. Cohon (2010) explains that Hume establishes the existing relationship between the sympathy of human beings with the feelings of pleasures, as well as pain.

This relationship is vital in the development of the human actions and motives for the moral sentiments. In this context, it is the consequences rather than the agent’s motive in the construction of the object relating to the moral appraisals among human beings. Evidently, there seems to be an ambiguity regarding Hume’s moral theory relating to the valuable object in the moral approval and disapproval. This existing ambiguity is evident in the historical aspect of the Humean criticism. Hume’s position indicates that motives have moral value for the approval or disapproval of the action.

On the other hand, it applies to note that Hume’s position values the consequences in the approval or disapproval of the moral action. It is possible to sustain these interpretations (consequences and motives) through fixing the attention of the statements in isolation. In spite of the incompatibility of these positions, they are necessary for the evaluation of the role and influence of sympathy in the case of Hume’s moral theory (Cohon, 2010). In the course of presenting his theory, Hume did adopt and incorporate the concept of sympathy to illustrate or express the capacity individuals receive through communication inclinations, as well as sentiments of others, which might be similar or different to their perceptions.

Sympathy tends to occur readily in children, as well as an adult in spite of the discerning judgment. The approach tends to find challenges in maintaining the position in opposition to the friends because of the existing sympathy for their relationship. For instance, when individuals are in the company of other persons of good-humoured nature, they, too, tend to become good-humoured. On the other hand, when such individuals are in the company of sorrowful people, their disposition undergoes transformation to feel the sympathy for their companies. From this concept, it is valuable to note that sympathy enables Hume to express the approval and disapproval of the moral action among the individuals within the society.

Describing and Explaining Hume’s Sympathy

According to Hume’s positive perception, the moral evaluation of an individual, as well as his or her character traits, relates to the sentiments. From this perspective, these virtues and vices are the traits producing approval and disapproval of actions of human beings. Similarly, Hume notes that the moral sentiments are emotions with diverse phenomenological quality, as well as the set of causes.

The moral sentiments emanate from the contemplation of the person or action to undergo evaluation regardless of the self-interest, thus, utilization of the common or general perspective with the ability and potentiality to compensate potential distortions in the sympathy of the observer. In the course of illustrating the concept of the sympathy, Hume notes that approval or approbation relates to the pleasure from the action of an individual. On the other hand, disapproval (disapprobation) relates to the existence of pain or uneasiness from the action of the individual in question (Cohon, 2010). This theoretical perspective believes that moral sentiments are calm rather than aggressive or violent in spite of their intensification relating to the awareness of the moral responses of other people within the society.

The moral sentiments relate to the pleasure and pain concerning the passions of pride vs. humility, as well as love vs. hatred feelings. When individuals feel the moral approval of others in the society, they focus on showing love and esteem toward them, thus, the potential approval of their trait as elements of satisfaction or moral behavior. In most cases, researchers focus on the utilization of four aspects of passion in the course of illustrating the essence of sympathy. Alternatively, certain practitioners believe that Hume’s moral theory relates to pleasures and pains in the determination of the existing moral sentiments with the ability and potentiality to cause or generate other passions in the latter stages.

In the case of Hume’s moral theory, sympathy tends to adopt and execute a critical role in the course of aiding approval or disapproval of the moral behavior and action. In the first phase of the sympathy, there is the essence of the observation of the effects of an individual’s affection, as well as his or her outward expressions in the interaction or conversation process aiming at conveying the idea of passion in the mind of the observer. This raises the question as to whether observing process generates the essential passion. Evidently, contemplation of the instruments for an individual’s surgery tends to evoke ideas of fear and pain in spite of their identity to the observer (Kinnaman, 2005).

Application of Hume’s Arguments in Humanity

According to this theoretical perspective, it is valuable to demonstrate the fact that human beings tend to possess the vivid and forceful expression and impression of themselves. From Hume’s approach, vivacity regarding an individual’s perception undergoes transfer to other people related to the perception of diverse elements such as resemblance, contiguity, cause, and implications regardless of the glaring differences. It is valuable to note that the relations, which are relevant in this context, are the structural aspects of the body, as well as the existing passions and their relevant causes. All human beings have similar body structures and passions, as well as their causes regardless of their differences.

For instance, as an individual I tend to observe or consider might resemble me in critical shared features such as nationality or personality in accordance with the viewpoint of Kinnaman (2005). The existence of this resemblance, as well as contiguity to the individual under observation provides the platform for the creation of the passion in the mind of the observer, thus, creating an impression of him or her to facilitate the acquisition of the vivacity from the encounter. The existing difference between the idea and the impression is the extent of the liveliness or vivacity regarding the two components. The acquired vivacity is valuable in the transformation of an idea to an impression, thus, the platform for the observer to engage in experiencing the passion relating to the moral sentiment.

The approach to share affections with the stranger or feeling the pleasure because of his or her pleasure in another platform or opportunity for the observer is vital in enabling others to experience the existence of the aesthetic enjoyment. Sympathy plays a critical role in the generation of this experience in which an observer enjoys the pleasure of the object or individual under investigation or observation. According to Hume, when individuals reflect upon a critical character or mental quality through knowing the tendency to benefit or enjoyment among the stranger, they tend to feel enjoyment when the trait under focus in beneficial or agreeable to the existing strangers.

On the other hand, individuals tend to feel uneasy when the desired traits cause harm or disagreement among the strangers or the target audiences. This explains the role and influence of sympathy among the human beings as apparatus of the moral approval and disapproval. Human beings have the tendency to approve the existing artificial virtues such as justice, allegiance, and the eventual dispositions towards obeying the laws of the nation and rules or good manners. According to Hume’s theoretical perspectives, these come out as the inventions facilitating the interests of the society. Human beings engage in approving these virtues and traits in diverse places and times for the benefit of the entire society.

Categorically, Hume believes that sympathy is essential in the generation of pleasure for the moral approval, which individuals feel towards the traits of the character under observation. From this illustration, the individuals tend to find such traits agreeable because of their influences in acting as the means to ends, thus, the role and implication of sympathy. Hume sought to extend this analysis towards an understanding of the approval of the natural virtues. These are the traits, which undergo natural approval in the absence of social contrivance. Some of these traits include clemency, moderation, and beneficence for the good of the entire society. It is valuable to demonstrate the role of the sympathy in the approval of these natural virtues and traits through the pleasure of the target audiences of the benefits.

Explanation of Hume’s Arguments

According to Hume’s argument, impressions and ideas form the realm of the human knowledge. Other elements form the realm of the unknown objects. For human beings, such objects do not exist from a simple perspective. Hume did believe that sentiments are essential in the determination of the concept of morality. From this illustration, virtue refers to whatever mental action or quality offers to the observer the pleasing sentiment of approval or approbation and vice the contrary. Similarly, Sayre-McCord (2013) maintain that Hume demonstrates the fact that reason is, as well as out to be the slave of the sentiments or passions regarding the approval or disapproval of the moral behavior or action within the society.

Additionally, Hume believes that reason is not appropriate in the determination of what individuals or human beings value. Nevertheless, it is possible to use reasoning in the course of pursuing what individuals’ value in the contemporary society. Hume demonstrates the fact that sentiments and passions form the basis of what individuals’ value within the society. For instance, individuals tend to experience natural sympathy or empathy regarding the fellow human feelings, thus, the platform to determine the generation of the passions and sentiments for the approval and disapproval of the human actions or behavior as explained by Sayre-McCord (2013).

The influence of sympathy is essential in enabling human beings to find the concept of virtue to be beautiful while vice being odious. The individuals focus on the utilization of what they value in the course of determining moral or ethical aspects of their behavior. Sympathy tends to experience direct relationship with one’s conscience, as well as the ability to feel disgust at the vice while experiencing approval towards the essence of the natural and artificial virtues.

Conclusion

Conclusively, this critical essay sought to examine and explore the role of sympathy in accordance with Hume’s ethical perspective or theory. In this ethical argument and theory, Hume establishes the existing relationship between the sympathy of human beings with the feelings of pleasures, as well as pain. Hume’s moral theory relates to pleasures and pains in the determination of the existing moral sentiments with the ability and potentiality to cause or generate other passions in the latter stages. Sympathy enables Hume to express the approval and disapproval of the moral action among the individuals within the society. Evidently, sympathy is essential in the generation of the sentiments and passion for the approval or disapproval of the virtues and traits through pleasure and pain experiences respectively.