Defining Hume(an) Taste

After reading David Hume’s ideas in his work “Of the Standard of Taste”, I find myself both agreeing and disagreeing with his argument. This is easy to do, seeing as Hume first disproves his theory and then reproves it. My process went a little something like this:

Hume poses the question, can a universal standard of taste be established for all humankind? This standard of taste is specified to a standard of taste in dealing with art and literature.

When faced with this question, I found myself immediately plunged into the depths of the Core curriculum. Can we, especially in our post-modern spectrum of understanding, even pin down universal truths, let alone a universal standard for something as diverse as art and literature? Hume follows that same frame of logic and notes “a thousand different sentiments, excited by the same object, are all right” (394).

Yet this thought assumes that while all these different sentiments are all right, they all originate from the same object. Is this the same with Christian scripture and divine inspiration? My personal belief tells me no, that there are universal truths originating in a singular Creator, but that’s another argument for another time with Mr. Hume. Unfortunately for you all I did just commit a blogger faux pas, for we all know that “religious principles are also a blemish to any polite conversation” (405).

However, ignoring any religious application for the time being, I do agree with Hume’s response to his own counter argument. Hume notes that everyone can see the clear difference between shoddy work and genius, like the difference “between Ogilby and Milton” (394). While I agree that I do think certain truths are universal, I’m not sure taste, especially in literature is one of those universals.

Perhaps I lack “delicacy of imagination”. I’m not sure you can ascribe change in tastes purely to education or a sudden epiphany.

So there I am. Stuck somewhere between agreeing that we can all recognize universal truths, which in turn probably means recognizing beauty in literature, and disagreeing that all people will come to the same conclusion about what makes good art or writing.

What do you think?