Hume on Contempt, Race, and the Homo Monstrosus

Abstract: This article examines Hume's infamous racist footnote by placing it in the context of his reflections on contempt and classificatory issues surrounding questions of dehumanisation and monstrosity. The aim of this is to show that it is precisely because contempt motivated Hume's deprecating views about non-White people that he remained oblivious to the fact that the footnote was inconsistent with his broader philosophical commitments and explanatory strategies concerning the context-dependence of human life. More generally, this analysis reveals that contempt is a passion that tends to confirm itself by rendering the mind blind to the deficiencies of its own thinking. Diagnosing this problem in Hume does not serve as an excuse for his racism but aims to provide resources for identifying strategies to address contempt-driven prejudices in one's own thinking.