# Sympathy and Social Influence in A Treatise of Human Nature

> Theme guide for A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume.

Sympathy allows the passions and opinions of others to affect our own, shaping our self-evaluation, reputation, and moral sentiments through social connection.

## Where it surfaces

- [Section VIII: Of Beauty and Deformity](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-viii-of-beauty-and-deformity): Hume notes that men consider the sentiments of others in judging themselves, as seen in the shame of diseases that are dangerous or disagreeable to others, indicating social influence on passions.
- [Section XI: Of the Love of Fame](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-xi-of-the-love-of-fame): Hume details the mechanism of sympathy, showing how we receive and internalize the sentiments of others, which is central to understanding the love of fame.
- [Section XII: Of the Pride and Humility of Animals](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-xii-of-the-pride-and-humility-of-animals): Animals show pride in the approbation of familiar humans, indicating a social dimension to these passions.
- [Part II: Of Love and Hatred](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/part-ii-of-love-and-hatred): Hume discusses how sympathy with others' feelings and situations plays a crucial role in generating love and hatred, and how social comparison influences these passions.
- [Section I: Of the Object and Causes of Love and Hatred](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-i-of-the-object-and-causes-of-love-and-hatred): The desire for reputation and the correspondence of sentiments between individuals suggests a social dimension to these passions.
- [Section II: Experiments to Confirm This System](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-ii-experiments-to-confirm-this-system): The chapter discusses how passions extend to friends and relations, showing the social influence on emotional responses.
- [Section III: Difficulties Solved](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-iii-difficulties-solved): Discusses how our judgments of others, such as enemies in war, are influenced by our own interests and national biases.
- [Section IV: Of the Love of Relations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-iv-of-the-love-of-relations): Sympathy with similar characters and the agreeable nature of lively ideas of passions are key to understanding social affections.
- [Section V: Of Our Esteem for the Rich and Powerful](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-v-of-our-esteem-for-the-rich-and-powerful): Hume argues that sympathy is the primary mechanism by which we esteem the rich and powerful, as we enter into their satisfaction and share their emotions.
- [Section VII: Of Compassion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-vii-of-compassion): Hume argues that pity and malice are not original instincts but arise from sympathy, the mechanism by which we share the passions of others.
- [Section VIII: Of Malice and Envy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-viii-of-malice-and-envy): Hume discusses how comparison with others' fortunes affects our passions, leading to malice and envy.
- [Section IX: Of the Mixture of Benevolence and Anger with Compassion and Malice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-ix-of-the-mixture-of-benevolence-and-anger-with-compassion-and-malice): Hume explains how sympathy with others' emotions, depending on its strength, leads to either love or hatred, showing the social nature of passions.
- [Section X: Of Respect and Contempt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-x-of-respect-and-contempt): Discusses how the presence of others and social distance affect the passions of respect and contempt.
- [Section XII: Of the Love and Hatred of Animals](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-xii-of-the-love-and-hatred-of-animals): Sympathy is shown to operate in animals, as passions like fear and grief are communicated among them.
- [Section VI: Of the Influence of the Imagination on the Passions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-vi-of-the-influence-of-the-imagination-on-the-passions): Hume discusses how the opinion of another, especially when enforced with passion, can influence our ideas of good and evil through sympathy, which is the conversion of an idea into an impression by the imagination.
- [Section X: Of Curiosity, or the Love of Truth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-x-of-curiosity-or-the-love-of-truth): Hume suggests that the pleasure in surveying fortifications arises from sympathy with the inhabitants, even if one is a stranger or enemy, indicating the role of sympathy in aesthetic and intellectual pleasures.
- [Part II: Of Justice and Injustice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/part-ii-of-justice-and-injustice): The chapter discusses how a shared sense of interest and the need for social stability lead to the convention of justice.
- [Section II: Of the Origin of Justice and Property](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-ii-of-the-origin-of-justice-and-property): Sympathy with public interest is the source of moral approbation for justice, and politicians and education extend natural sentiments.
- [Section X: Of the Objects of Allegiance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-x-of-the-objects-of-allegiance): The influence of long possession and custom on the sentiments of loyalty and obligation demonstrates how social sympathy shapes moral judgments.
- [Part III: Of the Other Virtues and Vices](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/part-iii-of-the-other-virtues-and-vices): Sympathy is central to how we approve of virtues and disapprove of vices, as we enter into the feelings of others.
- [Section I: Of the Origin of the Natural Virtues and Vices](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-i-of-the-origin-of-the-natural-virtues-and-vices): Hume argues that sympathy is the principle that allows us to approve of qualities beneficial to others, even when we are not directly affected, and that it is the foundation of moral approbation for natural virtues.
- [Section II: Of Greatness of Mind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-ii-of-greatness-of-mind): The chapter's core mechanism for moral judgment, where sympathy with others' sentiments of pride or humility shapes our own approval or disapproval.
- [Section III: Of Goodness and Benevolence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-iii-of-goodness-and-benevolence): Hume explains that moral approval of benevolence arises from sympathy with those affected by a person's character, and that social intercourse corrects our natural partiality to form a general standard.
- [Section IV: Of Natural Abilities](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-iv-of-natural-abilities): The esteem for natural abilities is explained through sympathy with their utility and the pleasure they bring to others.
- [Section V: Some Farther Reflections Concerning the Natural Virtues](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-v-some-farther-reflections-concerning-the-natural-virtues): Hume argues that our esteem for bodily advantages and riches is largely due to sympathy with the possessor's pleasure or utility, extending the role of sympathy beyond moral virtues.
- [Section VI: Conclusion of This Book](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_treatise_of_human_nature_se/chapters/section-vi-conclusion-of-this-book): Hume argues that sympathy is the chief source of moral distinctions, as it allows us to approve of virtues that benefit society or the individual.

## Links

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