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Chapter
The Sentiments of Beauty
DOI link for The Sentiments of Beauty
The Sentiments of Beauty book
The Sentiments of Beauty
DOI link for The Sentiments of Beauty
The Sentiments of Beauty book
ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the problem of producing a standard of taste for art (in response to the threat of relativism), and outlines Hume’s solution, namely an appeal to the sentiments of true judges. A new and simple resolution is given of the difficulty concerning Hume’s alleged ‘double standard’, raised by Jeffrey Wieand and James Shelley. The five characteristics of Hume’s true judges—good sense, freedom from prejudice, delicacy of taste, practice, and comparison—are then explained, and it is also argued that Hume’s account depends on an implicit further characteristic, namely sound moral judgement. The importance of imaginative resistance is explored, and in the final section a response is given to the old complaint that there is a vicious circularity in Hume’s definition of good art.