Suggested Readings:

• The Essays:  “Of the First Principles of Government”,
• Treatise of Human Nature: “Of Love of Fame”.

David Hume’s (1711-1766) starting point is a question about something so obvious that it is a mystery no one had reflected about it before him (or maybe nobody reflected on it because it seems to be a platitude). The question is: 

How come that many are governed by the few?

How is it possible that thousands, millions of individuals with an autonomous subordinate themselves meekly to the power of just a few rulers?

In Hume’s own words:

“Nothing appears more surprising to those who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which many are governed by the few: and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers.”

In this learning unit, we will briefly discuss two works that can help understand this starting question:

The Essays – In particular the chapter “Of the First Principles of Government”,

And the Treatise of Human Nature – His most important work. From this work, you can find in the Hyperlink the chapter “Of Love of Fame”.

His conclusion is clear, straightforward, unequivocal:

It is only on opinion that political power rests.

“When we inquire by what means this wonder is effected, we shall find that the governors have nothing to support them but opinion. It is, therefore, on opinion only that government is founded; and this maxim extends to the most despotic and most military governments, as well as to the most free and most popular.”

This absolute statement applies for any type of government: The most despotic ones and the free democratic societies.

This last statement may surprise us. It is clear that in a democratic society, power rests on opinion, but Hume goes further and states that the nature of political power does not vary in tyrannical or despotic regimes.

To explain this apparent paradox, we need to reflect on what legitimizes power. During centuries, the power was concentrated in the hands of royal families. In this type of political regime, the power goes from fathers to sons for generations.

How come this power that seems so arbitrary relies on opinion?

In monarchical regimes, the royal family is considered to be an extension of God’s power on Earth. If the majority of the population lives in the fear of God, they would accept the royal power as a logical consequence of God’s will. When this particular state of opinion disappears, then the whole power of kings and queens that may have lasted for generations can vanish in just a couple of years.