Sympathy, Sex, and Authority in Richardson and Hume

S y m p a th y , S e x , a n d A u th o r ity zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCB in R ic h a rd so n a n d H u m e C A R O L K A Y ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA A gr ea t in cen tive to th e r ich d evelop m en t o f p h ilo so p h y a n d oth er lit­ er a tu r e d evo ted to exp lo r in g sym p a th y ca m e fr om p o litica l p h ilo so p h y a n d th e p o litica l exp er ien ce th a t n ou r ish ed it. H ob b es's b r illia n t d ed u c­ tion o f a b solu te so ver eign ty fr o m scep tica l r ea son in g a b o u t m or a l tr u th a n d fr om a p sych o lo gy o f r estless, con ten tiou s p ow er -seekin g co u ld b e r efu ted o r m o d ified in a va r iety o f im p or ta n t w a ys b y th ose w h o em p h a­ sized sym p a th etic p r in cip les o f socia l coh er en ce. E ven if w e d o n ot w ish to p ictu r e a so ciety o f w r iter s m in u tely a n d r ep ea ted ly scr u tin izin g QPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA L e v ia ­ t h a n , w e h a ve r ea son to b elieve th a t th e r ea ction to civil w a r co u ld lea d a n yo n e to sh a r e H ob b es's gr ea t go a l, th e fo u n d a tio n o f socia l p ea ce, a n d a lso to sh a r e h is ir r ep r essib le a n xiety a b ou t th e m a n y d a n ger ou s p r o vo ca ­ tion s to co m p etitio n . O f cou r se a r iver a s b r o a d a s sym p a th y w ill w a n d er co n sid er a b ly fr om its sou r ce, b r a n ch ou t in va r io u s d ir ection s, ch a n ge co m p lexio n a n d co m p o sitio n . Th e d iscou r se on sym p a th y com p r eh en d s a h ost o f w h a t a r e n o w sep a r a te d iscip lin es o f p sych o lo gy, eth ics, a esth et­ ics, p h ysio lo gy. H o w ever m u ch w e m a y ga in b y sep a r a te exp lor a tion s, a n y d ecisive or u n q u estion in g segr ega tion o f p olitics fr om th em w o u ld d istor t th e h isto r y o f th e a u th or s w e stu d y w h en w e stu d y th e h isto r y o f sym p a th y. Keep in g p olitics in th e p ictu r e w ill b e d ifficu lt, n ot sim p ly b e­ ca u se o f o...