Hume says there is a difference then when something first happens and then when one recalls that perception. I beleive we used this example in class, the finger snapping. But Hume says like if a man is in pain he perceives it in a way. Later on, when he wants to recall that pain, it is in your memory and you can almost feel it but since it is not really there, your mind just goes by it's memory.
Hume says perceptions of the mind can be divided into two classes, thoughts or ideas and impressions. He says our mind can analyze thoughts and ideas in a certain way. He uses the example of God. He says we think of God as the ideas that he is, infinitely intelligent, wise and a good being. Our mind can relate to God just by using the words goodness and wisdom because our mind breaks down ideas to even simpler ideas. Another example that makes me think of breaking down ideas is when someone says the would nurture, I think of a mother. Throughout your childhood and youth, your mother nurtured and took care of you so when the mind hears that word, it gets connected with your mother.
Hume says impressions are those more "lively" sensations, like hear, see, feel, love, hate, desire or will. He says what about the blind man who can not see or the deaf man who can not hear. They perceive those ideas in different ways then the way we who have the capability to hear and see do. My cousin is deaf and he hears sounds and reads lips. He must put two and two together to understand what it is I am saying. My friend is colorblind and he sees shades of gray and 7 times out of ten can tell me which shade is red or blue or green which i think is nuts because he sees black, white and shades of gray.
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I think its amazing how people can put two and two together.. like how you said about ur friend being color blind and he is able to tell you what colors he is actually looking at. This is kinda like the example Hume used in this chapter about how the man is placed in front of all the shades of blue and there is one shade in which he is not able to see. When he goes through the shades from darkest to lightest he is still able to know that one shade is missing because there is a gap and he can imagine the shade by the shade of blue before it and after it!
Imoressions are so much more "lively" as Hume says, bacause they are in fact impressions. Impressions in your mind maybe an idea, but it's one you will never forget how it feels and what its asscoiated with. Whereas with thoughts and ideas, they can come and go with not another thought about them. This is actually kind of similar to what i blogged on last week.
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