The Young Author Who Tried to Rebuild Human Nature

The chapter's central question

Hume completed the ambitious Treatise in his twenties, but the book initially received little attention. He later recalled that the book was ‘born dead in the printing press.’ The historical impact was greater in subsequent redescriptions and lengthy receptions than in the immediate scandal. Revolutions in philosophy sometimes occur in the time when readers are created rather than at the moment of presentation.

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For two thousand years, since ancient Plato, Western philosophy has been obsessed with the dogma that 'reason is the master of emotions, and emotions are inferior slaves that must be subordinated to reason.' Philosophers have always condemned emotions and taught that only reason is pure.

However, David Hume, a 28-year-old young man in 18th century Scotland, threw a bomb in his Treatise on Human Nature (1739).

'Reason is the slave of the passions, and must only be a slave of the passions!'

Today, this sentence is read as a declaration that shook the foundation of Western intellectual history, but the Treatise received little attention at the time of its publication. Hume himself recalled that books were ‘born dead in the press.’ But he refined his ideas into more readable works, and over time his insight that cold calculation is not the force that drives human behavior had a huge impact.

Context and nuance

Hume attempted to observe the human mind in experience rather than in its abstract essence. In 『Treatise on Human Nature』, passion is a central element in which impressions, ideas, imagination, beliefs, and social sympathy are intertwined to create actions and moral judgments. Reason is important, but it alone cannot create purpose.

The heroic narrative that ‘Heresy overthrew dogma in one fell swoop’ is interesting, but Hume also inherited various theories of passion from ancient and modern times. His originality lies not so much in his initial respect for emotions as in his new connection between motivation, causation, and moral emotions within an empiricist theory of mind.

Do not oversimplify it this way

The sentence ‘Reason is a slave to passion’ does not mean that reason is useless or that facts can be ignored. Reason corrects the direction of desire by informing us of facts, causes, and means. However, Hume's point is that simply knowing the facts does not automatically give us what we should want and the motivation to act.

Philosophy in life

Have you ever had a time when you knew in your head, ‘I have to study right now, I have to exercise,’ but you didn’t want to lift a finger because your heart didn’t move?

Find your emotional engine: When faced with a task you've been putting off, ask yourself, 'What thrilling reward and joy will I get if I accomplish this?' Visualize heart-pounding emotional rewards

Primary-source guide

Primary guide: Treatise II.3.3, II.1–2, and III.3; Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals.

Pathos Editorial · Reviewed 2026-09-12