I totally agree that desire naturally makes us do more things than reason does. Years ago, my mother purported that all one needed to do to eliminate unwanted pregnancies was to make sex education mandatory. She reasoned that education would provide information and instruction and eliminate unwanted outcomes. I asked had she never been caught up in the moment and made a rash decision based on desire. She blinked a few times and responded, “no!” For her, reason outweighs desire. I think that was more true in past generations. For most of us (my opinion), as we grow and mature, we learn to apply reason and tell our desires to wait their turn. Sometimes reason wins.
I can see why you like Hume (“ Reason is, and ought to be the slave of the passions”). His finances came first from his essays and a multi-volume history, The History of England, which was sort of a standard university textbook. It kept him going. It also helped that he didn’t marry and had no children !
I totally agree that desire naturally makes us do more things than reason does. Years ago, my mother purported that all one needed to do to eliminate unwanted pregnancies was to make sex education mandatory. She reasoned that education would provide information and instruction and eliminate unwanted outcomes. I asked had she never been caught up in the moment and made a rash decision based on desire. She blinked a few times and responded, “no!” For her, reason outweighs desire. I think that was more true in past generations. For most of us (my opinion), as we grow and mature, we learn to apply reason and tell our desires to wait their turn. Sometimes reason wins.
I can see why you like Hume (“ Reason is, and ought to be the slave of the passions”). His finances came first from his essays and a multi-volume history, The History of England, which was sort of a standard university textbook. It kept him going. It also helped that he didn’t marry and had no children !
That’s cool information about Hume. And about your mom.