A Treatise of Human Nature · Chapter
Section VI: Limitations of This System explained
Hume outlines five limitations to his general system that all agreeable objects related to self produce pride and disagreeable ones humility.
What happens
Hume outlines five limitations to his general system that all agreeable objects related to self produce pride and disagreeable ones humility. The limitations are: (1) a close relation is required, closer than for joy; (2) the object must be peculiar to ourselves or shared with few; (3) the object must be discernible and obvious to others; (4) the cause must be constant and not inconstant; (5) general rules influence pride and humility. He concludes that the proudest are not always the happiest, and the most humble not always the most miserable, as real evils may lack the required relations.
Themes in this chapter
Passions and the Self
Hume examines how pride and humility are passions directed at the self, requiring specific conditions for their production.
Custom and General Rules
The fifth limitation highlights how general rules and custom influence the passions, guiding our judgments of value and rank.
Characters to notice
- David Hume
Author of the treatise, presenting limitations to his system of pride and humility.
Key passages
“Suppose an agreeable object to acquire a relation to self, the first passion, that appears on this occasion, is joy; and this passion discovers itself upon a slighter relation than pride and vainglory.”
When something pleasant becomes related to us, joy arises even with a weak connection, whereas pride requires a stronger relation.
Hume distinguishes the conditions for joy versus pride.
“The second limitation is, that the agreeable or disagreeable object be not only closely related, but also peculiar to ourselves, or at least common to us with a few persons.”
The object causing pride must be unique to us or shared with only a few others, not common to many.
Singularity is essential for pride.
“It seems ridiculous to infer an excellency in ourselves from an object, which is of so much shorter duration, and attends us during so small a part of our existence.”
It is absurd to base our self-worth on something that is temporary and only briefly part of our lives.
The inconstancy of the cause undermines pride.
“Custom readily carries us beyond the just bounds in our passions, as well as in our reasonings.”
Habit leads us to exceed reasonable limits in both our emotions and our thinking.
General rules influence passions similarly to understanding.