論休謨的道德情感－－以「同情」與「愛」為中心

Upon Hume's Moral Sentiments - Sympathy and Love

道德情感是人與生俱有的，世界各地各族群的人，皆根深柢固的具有贊賞或反對的道德情感。各種道德情感中，較主要的是增進他人利益，且與他人能感同身受的「同情」，以及對己對人之「愛」等自然情感。本文擬由「同情」和「愛」這二大面向，彰顯休謨的道德情感學說之特色。整個人類情感中的同情原則就如同大自然中的萬有引力定律一般，是和諧秩序的根源，休謨認為，「同情」感受在道德活動中所扮演重要角色，是理性或道德知識所不能及。在同情中，人能無私的感受他人苦樂，並散發著愛。「愛」的觀念本身，是視人為道德存有者的回應。有關「愛」藉其自身就有激發性的動力，休謨訴諸於經驗，愛之生發就繫於愉悅之情感，而藉著人類激情的原始天性，「愛」伴隨著仁慈，欲求我們愛的人幸福。在人世的往來互動裏，因著愛與同情，使我們能寬容廣闊的以普遍觀點來欣賞世界的人與物。同情和愛確實是產生道德情感以及樹立道德的兩大推動性情感。休謨的道德情感論，繫於人類的本性，結合同情與愛的提倡，帶領人邁向幸福快樂之境。

Moral sentiment is an instinct. It inheres in human nature, and consciously or subconsciously reveals on behaviors of showing things in favor of or dislike. Although there are attitudes toward moral sense, it mainly functions as sympathizing with how one feels and what one loves. According to Hume, being able to sympathize with others’ feelings is something like gravity—one of the Law of Nature, on which a harmonious social order is based. It definitely plays a key role in moral activities, which functions deeper and further than reasoning or knowing. By sympathy, one is able to identify with a happy or unhappy feeling without personal preferences, and by which one’s love is manifested. The essence of love is to faithfully respond to what one has deep in his/her moral sense with its natural breath and experience is the primary tool for it. Passion—one way to manifest moral sentiment, accompanied with kindness and well-meaning, will disperse all goodness in moral sense and eventually result in blooming of a happy life. Hume concludes that love and sympathy are two corner stones which hold the whole systematic structure of moral sentiments. By promotion of love and sympathy, people will be marching to a happy and harmonious society.