The fragmentation of humanity

Author: (English) David Hume
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-05-01
Features: What is human nature? Broadly speaking, the fundamental motives of all human thoughts and behaviors constitute the main components of human nature. The embryonic state of human nature is hidden in the dim and obscure corner of the heart; as it gradually becomes clear in social group life, it gives rise to human consciousness, group consciousness, national consciousness, and national consciousness. It creates culture while absorbing its influence, and on this basis, develops and perfects all emotions that make humans human, thereby distinguishing humans from other species in the biosphere. In daily life, guided by consciousness, people develop desires and fears, pursuits of interests and avoidance of dangers, leading to honor and shame, hatred and love, narrow-mindedness and tolerance, cruelty and kindness, arrogance and humility, brutality and gentleness. All of these are intertwined, in a give-and-take, creating a dazzling spectrum of life. Perhaps the reason why life is worth cherishing lies in the convergence of these motivating and mournful, hateful and beloved, comforting and helpless currents of life. Without them, I cannot imagine life being grand and beautiful. The song of all life originates from human nature. The mating of deer, the singing of birds, the tranquil joy of swimming fish, the blooming and withering of flowers—all of these can be explained as biological instincts, or even just the uncontrolled, unregulated process of growth—death. They are unconscious, or at best possess only faint awareness, insufficient to dominate thought, form concepts, reform the environment, or create the future. On this planet, only humans possess wisdom, and thus, from the moment wisdom arises, they first develop tools to nurture and preserve it—this is human nature. Exploring human nature is a meaningful philosophical endeavor. Many wise thinkers throughout history have devoted considerable effort to examining it in detail, leaving behind extensive experiences, insights, lessons, and speculations. It must be acknowledged that this is a vast and profoundly unfathomable world, and fully revealing its mysteries is currently beyond our reach, for while human nature has a constant side, it also has a variable one. However, among the numerous philosophical works on human nature, David Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature stands out as one of the more successful. David Hume (1711-1776), a Scottish man born into a declining gentry family, studied at the University of Edinburgh. He was one of the most influential philosophers of 18th-century Western philosophy, the founder of modern agnosticism, and also a historian and economist. Hume inherited Berkeley’s (1684-1753) idealist system and developed it into agnosticism. He categorized all human knowledge into perceptions, which are further divided into impressions and ideas. Impressions are vivid, immediate sensations, while ideas are hazy reflections of impressions formed later; all ideas are combinations of original impressions in different ways. He doubted the existence of anything beyond the senses, indifferent to the objective laws of the external world, denied causal relationships, transformations, and necessary conditions, and confined human understanding to the realm of subjective experience. In some of his works, he openly declared, "Self-interest and human nature are inseparable," explaining human nature as the pursuit of wealth, power, and pleasure, as well as the aversion to poverty and humility. His philosophical ideas profoundly influenced the development of modern Western bourgeois philosophy, paving the way for Kant’s "agnosticism" and various subjective and idealist philosophical schools. Besides A Treatise of Human Nature, his other major works include Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Political Essays, and A History of England, among others. In A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume systematically explores the origin, development, function, and limitations of human nature, using relatively accessible philosophical language to articulate a philosopher’s candid views on the world and humanity. Here, he sets aside all biases and conclusions, forging a new path through meticulous observation of life phenomena and in-depth study of historical events, employing superior intellectual power to build his subjective idealist philosophical edifice, providing humanity with a new beginning and a higher level of self-awareness. We live in a material world, but the spiritual hunger compels us to seek the sweet spring of knowledge in the desert. After experiencing too much vanity and recklessness, humans feel the emptiness of the heart and the pain of the soul. Philosophy arises precisely from careful reflection on life. It dissects many of the mysteries of the "spiritual," explains and abstracts diverse doubts, sorrows, confusions, and indecision, guiding humanity to ever higher levels of understanding of the world and oneself. Philosophers are thinkers, seers, and thermometers of humanity. A healthy society should, after indulging in pleasures, freely support a few philosophers dedicated to thought as a lifelong profession, for they often foretell the gospel or the funeral bells of humanity. "Heaven will use the teacher as a wooden bell to proclaim his voice loud and far," not to awaken the majority from the mire of life, to expel a breath of (dirty air), and to inhale a few puffs of philosophy air that has been sterilized through high temperature and pressure. Of course, every philosopher has his shortcomings, and philosophy is far from being perfect or flawless. It still has vast unknown domains to explore, and even in the areas it has already delved into, it leaves vast gaps, or passages of text that one day may be erased by the tides of history; and this is where we hope future philosophers will strive to fill. Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature has its unique historical value and significance; but today, over 220 years later, rereading this work on human nature, we clearly feel that it is incomplete. Not only is its philosophical foundation fragile, but even in its writing, there are still places where attention to detail is lacking. The questions he explores, from today’s perspective, may naturally invite disapproval, dissatisfaction, and debate, but the philosopher’s insightful, lucid thinking and diligent exploration will undoubtedly leave a deep impression.