A Rumor of Empathy in Hume’s Many Uses of Sympathy

Abstract

David Hume has at least four distinct meanings of “sympathy.” These are mapped in detail to the multi-dimensional aspects of empathic receptivity, empathic understanding, empathic interpretation, and empathic responsiveness. In turn, “sympathy” is engaged as receptivity to affects; as understanding of exemplary other individuals as possibilities (from ancient Roman and Greek times); as the empathic interpretation of the other using a general point of view of an ideal observer; finally, as the optimal response of benevolence. Hume delimits the difference between sympathy and emotional contagion as a double representation. Hume leaves undeveloped the parallel between a “clelicacy of taste” and a “delicacy of sympathy,” the latter capturing today’s “empathy.” The “clelicate” aspects of sympathy are gathered together with “clelicacy of taste” and considered here.