According to Arthur Schopenhauer,

"…there is more to be learned from each page of David Hume than from the collected philosophical works of Hegel, Herbart and Schleiermacher taken together."[1]

Albert Einstein, in 1915, wrote that he was inspired by Hume's positivism when formulating his theory of special relativity.[2] Morris and Brown (2019) write that Hume is "generally regarded as one of the most important philosophers to write in English."[3]

Hume’s essay Of the Standard of Taste was published in his volume entitled Four Dissertations in 1757. The  essay is a typical example of his clear thinking and laudable style.

Hume begins his essay by noting that taste differs widely and even  people nurtured under the same circumstances, and even those who have the same general dispositions and prejudices have different tastes. This fact puts taste in a special category beyond science as science tends to have a final say on disputed terms and after a while seems to reach a final conclusion. This is so because virtues like elegance, propriety, and simplicity that are generally applauded  can also be subjective. “Every voice is united in applauding elegance, propriety, simplicity, spirit in writing; and in blaming fustian, affectation, coldness, and a false brilliancy.”[4]

Similarly in the realm of morality though there are terms that are non-controversial, say for example ‘virtue or vice’[5], nevertheless discord may still arise when the terms are seen across history and culture. Hume opines that it is imperative that one must have  a constant of taste.

“It is natural for us to seek a Standard of Taste; a rule, by which the various sentiments of men may be reconciled; at least, a decision afforded, confirming one sentiment, and condemning another.”[6]

To felicitate this Hume highlights the difference between ‘judgement’ and ‘sentiment’. Judgements refers to something beyond ourselves and as Hume puts it “real matter of fact,” and hence there is only one correct judgment. Furthermore judgements are objective. To understand this if I say “Water boils at 100⁰ then my judgement is correct and my judgement that “Water boils at 80⁰” could be totally wrong. there can be hence good judgements and bad judgements. Sentiment on the other hand shows the relation between the object and how we perceive that object. Therefore it follows that all sentiments can be correct as they are purely subjective. I may place a work of art say a movie in a higher category because I might have liked it in contrast to say my friend who might have hated the same.

Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty. One person may even perceive deformity, where another is sensible of beauty; and every individual ought to acquiesce in his own sentiment, without pretending to regulate those of others.⁷

Since there can thus be no ‘true sentiment’ or ‘false sentiment’, hence we can infer that artistic taste is subjective.

“…All sentiment is right; because sentiment has a reference to nothing beyond itself, and is always real, wherever a man is conscious of it…a thousand different sentiments, excited by the same object, are all right: Because no sentiment represents what is really in the object”[8]

Hume also reminds us of the fact that though sentiments are subjective, these are also influenced by consensus. Therefore even before I read Shakespeare I have a pre conceived notion dictated by popular appeal of him being the father of literature. If someone were to come up openly and declare that he does not like Shakespeare, his taste would be questioned. So what Hume is trying to do is that he is trying to reconcile both and then he talks of certain universal principles of taste which can resonate with everyone. These universal principles are founded on what he called “common sentiments of human nature,” but one also ought to bear in mind that the actual sentiments of people might not necessarily conform to these rules. To hand out an aesthetic judgement means involvement of

… the mind are of a very tender and delicate nature, and require the concurrence of many favourable circumstances to make them play with facility and exactness, according to their general and established principles. The least exterior hindrance to such small springs, or the least internal disorder, disturbs their motion, and confounds the operation of the whole machine[9]

Any kind of hindrance is capable of clouding our judgement. The hindrance could be ‘external’ say for example our cultural distance from the piece of art or ‘internal’ in the form of our own prejudices or even our underdeveloped sense of taste. If the conditions are ideal then a classic will remain a classic in spite of time and distance separating it. Homer enthralled all at Athens and Rome and continues to do so even today. Time and distance has not dulled his glory.

the next point that Hume addresses is how ‘Aesthetic taste’ can  be  developed. This he says, can be developed by what Hume calls “practice in a particular art.” A regular exposure to art can with time refine our feeling or sentiment. A close comparative study of different artistic objects can also further refine it.

“… It is impossible to continue in the practice of contemplating any order of beauty, without being frequently obliged to form comparisons between the several species and degrees of excellence, and estimating their proportion to each other…The most vulgar ballads are not entirely destitute of harmony or nature; and none but a person familiarised to superior beauties would pronounce their numbers harsh, or narration uninteresting…One accustomed to see, and examine, and weigh the several performances, admired in different ages and nations, can alone rate the merits of a work exhibited to his view, and assign its proper rank among the productions of genius. ”[10]

But a conscious effort must be put to keep prejudices -friendship and enmity with the artist-kept aside in doing so, which in itself is not an easy thing to do. That is the reason for the fact that everyone is not equally competent to judge a piece of art. Hume avers that not all are bestowed with the principles of taste and therefore not everyone can be a good critic.

1.     Schopenhauer, Arthur. The World as Will and Representation 2. Ch. 46, p. 582.

2.     Einstein, Albert. 1998 [1915]. "Letter to Moritz Schlick." The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein 8A, edited by R. Schulmann, A. J. Fox, and J. Illy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 220.

3.     Morris, William Edward, and Charlotte R. Brown. 2019 [2001]. "David Hume." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford: Metaphysics Research Lab. Retrieved 18 May 2020.

4.     David Hume 1970, https://homepages.uc.edu/ accessed 20 May 2024.p.2.

5.     ibid.,p. 5

6.     ibid.,p.4.

7.     ibid., p.5

8.     ibid., p.3-4.

9.     ibid., p.7