2011•Journal of Scottish PhilosophyRequires access

Delicacy in Hume's Theory of Taste

Theodore Gracyk

Abstract

David Hume's celebrated essay ‘Of the Standard of Taste’ is the central text for understanding Hume's aesthetic theory, yet an important claim in that essay has received inadequate attention in the literature. Although it is understood that Hume stresses the importance of delicacy of taste, it is less well understood that this delicacy is a delicacy of imagination, which is distinct from a delicacy of perception. Using both the essay and other texts to elucidate this thesis, it appears that Hume's account of taste faces unresolved difficulties in defending a standard of taste.

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Key concepts: Delicacy, Taste, Philosophy, Perception, Epistemology, Aesthetic theory, Aesthetics, Psychology