competent gestures 2

From our present moment Hume's picture of human psychology appears a little naive. He could not imagine the extent to which human preferences and sentiments are effected and provoked by a media economy of images, and the extent to which his own arguments in favour of utility could undermine his simple though honest faith in the human facility of sentiment. He writes:

And if the principles of humanity are capable, in many instances, of influencing our actions, they must, at all times, have some authority over our sentiments, and give us a general approbation of what is useful to society, and blame of what is dangerous or pernicious. The degree of these sentiments may be the subject of controversy; but the reality of their existence, one should think, must be admitted in every theory or system.