Day 9: Hume on Reason & Passion

• Questions/Review

• Reason and Passion (Overview)

• Reason and Passion (Premise 1)

• Reason and Passion (Premise 2)

• Original Existences

• “Unreasonable” Passions; Strength of Mind

• Compare and Contrast Hume and Plato

• Next Time: first ½ of Class: Test 3

                     second ½:  Computing Machinery… (sections 1 to 5)

Reason and Passion (Overview)

• What does Hume think passions are?

• What does he think the relationship is between reason and passion?

Reason and Passion (Overview)

• Quick outline of the first part of his argument:

    – (1) Reason alone can never be a motive to any action of the will; passion is required.

    – (2) Reason [alone] can never oppose passion in the direction of the will; passion is required.

    – (3) Therefore, reason is a slave to the passions.

Reason and Passion (Premise 1)

•           There are two ways in which reason exerts itself:

      –      Demonstration (in relations of ideas)

      –      Probability (in matters of fact)

•           Hume argues that in neither of its two modes of exertion can reason, on its own, be a motive to any action of the will

Reason and Passion (Premise 2)

• Nothing can oppose impulse or passion except a contrary impulse or passion

• We have already seen that reason alone cannot give rise to an impulse or passion

• Therefore, reason [alone] cannot oppose passion in the direction of the will

Original Existences

• Ideas of reason are not original existences; they are copies of original existences

• Passion is an original existence

• Hume thinks the above helps to render it unsurprising that reason alone cannot oppose passion

“Unreasonable” Passions

• What do we mean when we say that particular passions are “unreasonable?”  Could “unreasonable” passions damage Hume’s account?

• According to Hume, passions are “unreasonable” either

      –      when passion is founded on the supposition of objects which do not exist, or

      –      when we choose means which are insufficient for our ends

Strength of Mind

• According to Hume, what is it to have strength of mind?  In terms of reason and passion, how does Hume understand strength of mind?

• What might Plato think of Hume’s story on the relationship between reason and passion?

Compare and Contrast Hume and Plato

• How does Hume define “passion?”

• According to Hume, what is it to have strength of mind?  In terms of reason and passion, how does Hume understand strength of mind?

• According to Plato, what are the Appetites, Spirit, and Reason?  How are they related to one another in the just individual?

Compare and Contrast Hume and Plato

• Since Plato recognizes that there are desires in every part of the soul, could he, in principle, agree with the following?

      –       (1) Thought alone can never be a motive to any action of the will; desire is required.

      –          (2) Thought alone can never oppose desire in the direction of the will; another desire is required.

• The desires required would be the desires for truth, knowledge, wisdom, … (in Reason) and the desires for honour, victory, … (in Spirit); the thoughts and desires of Reason work with the desires of Spirit to control the desires of the Appetites.

Compare and Contrast Hume and Plato

• What Plato would clearly deny is

      – (3) Thought is a slave to desires

• Here are some questions to think about:

      –       Can reason adjudicate between competing desires?  If a passion for truth, wisdom, knowledge or justice is required to adjudicate between other competing passions, does that vindicate Hume?  Or does the ability of thought and desire to adjudicate between other competing desires vindicate Plato?  Is either vindicated? If so, why?  If not, why not?