Division Of The Subject

All the mind’s perceptions may be divided into impressions and ideas.

The impressions can be further divided into original and secondary.

• This division is the same as the impressions of sensation and reflection (Book 1, Part 1, Sec. 2).

Original impressions or impressions of sensation are those without any antecedent perception arising in the soul from:

• the body’s constitution
• the animal spirits, or
• the application of objects to the external organs.

This includes:

• all sensory impressions
• all bodily pains and pleasures.

Secondary or reflective impressions are those that proceed from some of these original ones, either immediately or by the interposition of its idea.

• This includes the passions and other emotions resembling them.

The mind, in its perceptions, must begin somewhere.

• Since the impressions precede their correspondent ideas, there must be some impressions, which without any introduction make their appearance in the soul.

These depend on natural and physical causes.

Their examination would lead me too far from my present subject, into the sciences of anatomy and natural philosophy.

I shall confine myself to those other impressions I have called secondary and reflective, as arising from:

• the original impressions, or
• their ideas.

Bodily pains and pleasures are the source of many passions when felt and considered by the mind.

But they arise originally in the soul or in the body, whichever you want to call it, without any preceding thought or perception.

A gout produces a long train of passions, as grief, hope, fear.

But it is not derived immediately from any affection or idea.

The reflective impressions may be divided into 2 kinds:

1. The calm

The sense of beauty and deformity in action, composition, and external objects.

2. The VIOLENT

The second are the passions of love and hatred, grief and joy, pride and humility.

• This division is far from being exact.

The raptures of poetry and music frequently rise to the greatest height. ◦ While those other impressions called passions, may decay into so soft an emotion, as to become imperceptible.

In general the passions are more violent than the emotions arising from beauty and deformity, these impressions have been commonly distinguished from each other. ◦ The subject of the human mind is so copious and various. ◦ I shall take advantage of this vulgar and spacious division, that I may proceed with the greater order. ◦ I shall now explain those violent emotions or passions, their nature, origin, causes, and effects.

When we take a survey of

The passions are either:

1. Direct

These arise immediately from good or evil and pain or pleasure.

• Examples are desire, aversion, grief, joy, hope, fear, despair and security.

2. Indirect

These arise from the same principles, but by the conjunction of other qualities.

• Examples are pride, humility, ambition, vanity, love, hatred, envy, pity, malice, generosity, with their dependants.

I cannot presently justify or explain this distinction any further.