Page:Treatise of Human Nature (1888).djvu/728

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A TREATISE OF HUMAN NATURE.

passion,' 319; since all ideas are borrowed from impressions, and only differ from them in vivacity, this difference being removed, the ideas of the passions of others are converted into the very impressions they represent, 319 (cf. 371); relations produce sympathy by means of the association between the idea of another's person and that of our own, 322 (cf. 576); in sympathy the mind passes from idea of self to that of another object, which is contrary to the law of transition of ideas; it does so because 'ourself independent of the perception of every other object is in reality nothing,' so 'we must turn our view to external objects and 'tis natural for us to consider with most attention such as lie contiguous to us or resemble us,' 349; every human creature resembles ourselves and by that means has an advantage over every other object in operating ou the imagination, 359; 'the minds of men are mirrors to one another,' 365; we only infer the passion with which we sympathise from its external signs (cf. 371); 'no passion of another discovers itself immediately to the mind,' all the affections readily pass from one person to another, as motion between strings equally wound up, 576.

§ 1. B. The source of pity, 369 f.; 'the communicated passion of sympathy sometimes acquires strength from the weakness of its original, and even arises by a transition from affections which have no existence,' 370 (cf. 319, 584); 'we carry our fancy from the cause, misfortune, to the usual effect, sorrow; first conceive a lively idea of his passion and then feel an impression of it, the imagination being here affected by the 'general rule' 371 (cf. 319); 'we often feel by communication the pains and pleasures of others which are not in being and which we only anticipate by the force of imagination,' 385; this requires a great effort of imagination which must be assisted by some present lively impression, 386.

C. Arises from two different causes, (1) a double relation of impressions and ideas, (2) parallel direction of impulses, thus when sympathy with uneasiness is weak it produces hatred by the former cause, when strong it produces love by the latter, 385: also since we judge of objects by comparison more than as they are in themselves, an opposite passion sometimes arises by sympathy to that which is felt by the other person, 375 (cf. 589); often takes place under the appearance of its contrary, e.g. when contradiction increases my passion, for the sentiments of others can never affect us but by becoming in some measure our own: comparison directly contrary to sympathy in its operation, 593; requires greater force and vivacity in the idea which is converted into an impression than does comparison, 595; of a partial kind, 'which views its objects only on one side,' 371; double, 389; a double rebound of, 602.

§ 2. Is found in all men, and is the source of uniformity of temper