Hume and Human Nature

The three psychological tendencies are not hard to see, in fact they are painfully obvious. Being the social animals that we are, humans can not help but try to connect with those around them. We are influenced by each others emotions and compare our situations to others; we relate best to those whose situation is most similar to our own. That we tend to avoid pain is a given, though what is termed “pain” can be quite variable between individuals.

How did Hume come to his conclusions? I think he saw the human social tendency and the deviancies (I do not mean that negatively, only statistically) of behavior, along with the contrasting moral code of society, which is necessary to maintain social order, and examined the dynamics between morality and behavior, community and individual, etc., to determine the nature of these relationships.

I read a good chunk of the Treatise last year on my own, and am looking forward to re-reading it, I thoroughly enjoy Hume’s style and he has nudged me in the direction of positivism, though of a different sort than Hume’s or his later contemporaries, such as Carnap and Ayer… logical positivism created (almost) as many problems as it solved… Where the hell was I going with this? I don’t know, but I am pretty sure that it means that it’s time for bed; goodnight!