Argument
(Page 227 in the course reader)
There is only one opinion of any given subject that is true and that is the joint verdict of true judges.
A true judge doesn’t discriminate, has adequate practice with similar works, has an adequate ability to compare these works, has sufficient reasoning when it comes to the assessment of works and is free from any prejudices.
Judges that have satisfied this criteria will all reach the same verdict.
The joint verdict of true judges is to be accepted as the true standard of taste and beauty.
Criticism
Although Hume recognises that there are no incorrect sentiments when experiencing an aesthetic object he fails to accept that there can be more than one true opinion.
Hume sees sentiments as an emotional …show more content…
Even if a judge meets Hume’s criteria it is not to say that he will have the same opinion as another judge that also meets the criteria. His judgement will be affected by many other things such as personality, culture, mood and moral standards. Even if there are two judges that share all these traits there is still no way to prove that they will deliver a joint verdict. There are much too many factors that will influence a judge’s opinion to ever believe that even two of them will have a joint verdict. Surely a joint verdict cannot be possible if one judges opinion can differ from day to day based on his …show more content…
There will always be a personal idiosyncrasy. For example, two blacksmiths who have undergone the same training in methodology and have both perfected their craft, will still produce different results when given the exact same task. Hume admits to this towards the end of his essay, when he says that “a certain degree of diversity in judgement is unavoidable.” He justifies this possible difference by differentiating between prejudiced and “blameless” judgements, which he seems to claim is acceptable amongst true judges. This provides no solid ground for his assertion that a joint verdict of true judges is a necessary component in the evaluation of the aesthetic experience.
Hume believes that the value of an aesthetic experience is in no way attached to any aesthetic attributes of the object. He believes that the experience of aesthetic value lies in he who is experiencing it. This belief makes it even more difficult to believe that a common verdict will be achieved because unless a shared experience is indeed controlled by the art object, aesthetic value will be an individual experience that cannot possibly be the same among different
(Page 227 in the course reader)
There is only one opinion of any given subject that is true and that is the joint verdict of true judges.
A true judge doesn’t discriminate, has adequate practice with similar works, has an adequate ability to compare these works, has sufficient reasoning when it comes to the assessment of works and is free from any prejudices.
Judges that have satisfied this criteria will all reach the same verdict.
The joint verdict of true judges is to be accepted as the true standard of taste and beauty.
Criticism
Although Hume recognises that there are no incorrect sentiments when experiencing an aesthetic object he fails to accept that there can be more than one true opinion.
Hume sees sentiments as an emotional …show more content…
Even if a judge meets Hume’s criteria it is not to say that he will have the same opinion as another judge that also meets the criteria. His judgement will be affected by many other things such as personality, culture, mood and moral standards. Even if there are two judges that share all these traits there is still no way to prove that they will deliver a joint verdict. There are much too many factors that will influence a judge’s opinion to ever believe that even two of them will have a joint verdict. Surely a joint verdict cannot be possible if one judges opinion can differ from day to day based on his …show more content…
There will always be a personal idiosyncrasy. For example, two blacksmiths who have undergone the same training in methodology and have both perfected their craft, will still produce different results when given the exact same task. Hume admits to this towards the end of his essay, when he says that “a certain degree of diversity in judgement is unavoidable.” He justifies this possible difference by differentiating between prejudiced and “blameless” judgements, which he seems to claim is acceptable amongst true judges. This provides no solid ground for his assertion that a joint verdict of true judges is a necessary component in the evaluation of the aesthetic experience.
Hume believes that the value of an aesthetic experience is in no way attached to any aesthetic attributes of the object. He believes that the experience of aesthetic value lies in he who is experiencing it. This belief makes it even more difficult to believe that a common verdict will be achieved because unless a shared experience is indeed controlled by the art object, aesthetic value will be an individual experience that cannot possibly be the same among different