David Hume And Joseph Conrads Heart Of Darkness - 1863 Words

David Hume was one of the most influential philosophers of the eighteenth century. He was a champion of empiricism in determining the origins of human knowledge, believing that outside of experience, there was no way to obtain knowledge. In Treatise of Human Nature, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Hume presented a series of controversial ideas in accordance with empiricism that challenged the concept of rationalism. Among these ideas were a concept known as Hume’s fork, which presented separate notions of â€Å"impressions† and â€Å"ideas,† a new philosophical structure of determining the relationship between morality, reason, and passion, and the contradiction in inductive reasoning. Hume’s†¦show more content†¦On a parallel note, the events in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness serve to prove a similar concept in relation to imperialism and European conquest. The novella depicts actions and d ecisions which prove that behind the widely perceived glory and grandeur of conquest lies nothing but brutality and greed. However, Conrad limits the reliability of this perspective by only detailing these vivid occurrences through Marlow’s first-hand experience; when Marlow encounters the shrunken heads on sticks, he confronts the situation in a rather dismissive way—even going so far as to unironically describe the heads as â€Å"impressive† (Conrad, 1899, p. 96). By restricting perception of outside events to objective descriptions, Conrad focuses on the inner conflicts arising within characters like Marlow, as well as on Marlow’s initial inability to comprehend the barbarism of the situation. This supports Hume’s opinion that the influence exerted by raw sensory perception on a person’s mentality far exceeds the influence exerted by subsequent contemplation of the stimulus. In other words, the impact that the initial situation holds is c learer than one’s understanding of it. Similarly, when Marlow initially rises to overtake Fresleven’s job position, he suppresses the gnawing feelingShow MoreRelated A White Lie in the Heart of Darkness Essay examples1277 Words   |  6 PagesA White Lie in the Heart of Darkness â€Å"He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision, – he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath – ‘The horror! The horror!’† (Conrad, Heart of Darkness, pg112)1. After returning to Brussels, Marlow pays a visit to Kurtz’ intended and brings these final words of Kurtz with him. When asked to reveal Kurtz’ last declaration, Marlow offers this: â€Å"‘The last word he pronounced was – your name.’† (Heart, pg123). He lies.