設想、比較與反省：休謨《人性論》的官能心理學解讀

Abstract

官能心理學是休謨的人性哲學中關鍵卻又常受忽視的層面。本文從這一視角出發，探討了《人性論》中重要的心靈能力－設想。設想有三種活動方式，即單純設想、比較和反省。單純設想能產生和改變觀念，與感覺有著十分密切的聯繫。比較是發現觀念間關係的活動。反省則是設想的二階活動，是心靈以單純設想和比較活動本身為對象而進行的單純設想和比較活動。討論結果表明，官能心理學視角能夠向我們提供無法從別的視角中得到的、對《人性論》的深層理解。這展現了以這一視角解讀《人性論》的巨大潛力。

Faculty psychology is a crucial but ignored aspect in Hume`s philosophy of human nature. From this perspective, this paper discusses the ＂conception＂, which is an important mental ability in Hume`s Treatise. Conception has three different ways of operation, which are pure conception, comparison, and reflection. Pure conception produces and changes ideas, and is closely related to sensation. Comparison is the activity of discovering the relations between ideas. Reflection is the second-order activity of conception, which is also pure conception and comparison in fact, but regards the activities of pure conception and comparison as its objects. This discussion shows that we can have some deep understandings on Hume`s Treatise, which can be acquired nowhere but from the perspective of faculty psychology. It manifests the great potential of the perspective of faculty psychology for interpreting Hume`s Treatise.