- Burke forces upon Taste having fixed principles or common reasoning, if not then our labor is

likely to be “employed to very little purpose” and can be judged “an useless”
He denies providing a definition of taste as it has the danger of limiting it in the bounds of our
notion. He continues by saying that he wants to find if there are any principles on which the
imagination can be affected. He says that all the natural powers in man that are conversant or
familiar with external objects are the senses; the Imagination and the Judgement. He says that
to imagine that their senses present different images of things to different men makes every
reasoning vain and frivolous. He talks about distinguishing between the natural taste and the
acquired relish. He gives an example of man preferring taste of Tobacco over Sugar and flavour
of Vinegar over milk, but he still knows that Tobacco is not sweet or Vinegar is not sweet, his
habit has reconciled him to these alien tastes. But if he declares that Tobacco or Vinegar is
sweet, we will conclude that his organs are out of order and his palate is vitiated. We can’t
converse with a man like this who has no control over these senses, these exceptions do not
impeach our general rule and make us conclude that men have various principles concerning
relations of quantity or Taste of things. He then announces that taste cannot be argued over as
we can’t know what pleasure or pain one may find from the taste of a particular object. Yet we
should argue or dispute with sufficient clearness, taking into account what things are naturally
pleasing or displeasing to the sense and must know the habits, prejudices or distempers of that
particular man then draw our conclusion.
He extends the question of Taste to the eye as well. The principle of pleasure derived from sight
is same in all, no one would think that a goose is more beautiful than swan. Summer with it’s
greenery, serene and brightness is more agreeable than winter, when everything makes an
appearance. But the pleasure of sight is not that complicated as the palate and is not altered by
considerations that are independent of sight itself. But things do not present themselves to
palate as they do to sight, they are applied either as food or medicine, and the palate is altered
according to these degrees and qualities which they possess for medicinal or nutritive purposes.
For example- opium is pleasing to Turks, Tobacco is the delight of Dutchmen, we have been
using these together with tea, coffee and some other things for health long before they were
thought of pleasure but still it does not perplex our reasoning. In tasting a new fruit, we would
say it has sweet taste like tobacco. There still remain remembrance of the original natural
causes of pleasure, to enable them to bring all things offered to their senses to the standard and
then regulate their opinion and feelings by it. Now if you give a bitter substance to a tobacco
user, he would still choose honey or butter over that to bitterness, proving his palette is still of
that a normal human, it is vitiated in some particular point.
Burke then talks about imagination and says that the mind of man possesses a great creative
power to arrange or represent the images of things in the order and manner in which they were
received by senses- this power is called Imagination. This power is capable of producing
anything new, to this belongs wit, fancy, invention, and the like. Imagination is the most
extensive province of pain, and pleasure, as it is the region of our fears, hopes, and all of our
passion connected with them.
Then Burke talks about the wit and judgement which are dependent on the same faculty of mind
which is comparing yet they both differ so much materially that a perfect union of these two is
the rarest thing in the world. Human mind has much more satisfaction and spark in finding
resemblance in two (unlike) things rather than finding distinctions. Because by finding
resemblance, we produce new images, we unite, we create, we enlarge our stock, but in making
distinction we are providing no food at all to the imagination. This principle of knowledge is
dependent upon experience and observation, not on the strength or weakness of any natural
faculty.
The same parity can be seen in poetry and other work of imagination as well.
Then Burke states that Taste belongs to imagination, its principle is same in all men. But in the
degree there is a difference which arises from two causes- either from a greater degree of
natural sensibility or from closer and longer attention to object. Example on page no 21 top.
When judging things in degree not measurement, it can be hard to achieve exactness if the
excess or diminution is not glaring. Things like smoothness-roughness, hardness-softness,
darkness-light, the shades of colours, all these are very distinguishable when difference is
considerable but not when it is minute, supposing the acuteness of the sense equal, the greater
attention and habit in such things will have the advantage.
He then clarifies that Taste in its most general acceptance is made up of three things partly-
Perception of the primary pleasures of sense, of the secondary pleasures of the imagination and
of the conclusions of the reasoning faculty. All of this is necessary to form Taste and groundwork
of all these is the same in the human mind. We shall find its principle entirely uniform but the
degrees in which these principles prevail in different individuals is altogether as different as the
principles themselves are similar.
Sensibility and Taste, qualities which composes Taste, vary exceedingly in various people.
From a defect in the former of these qualities, arises a want of Taste and a weakness in
the latter, constitutes a wrong or bad one. Some men’s feeling are so blunt, with cold
tempers that you can hardly say about them being awake during the course of their lives. These
type of person don’t get any impression even upon on the sight of most striking object.
The cause of a wrong Taste is a defect of judgement which can arise from a natural weakness
of understanding. A rectitude of judgement in arts (good Taste) in great measure depends upon
sensibility coz if the mind has no bent towards pleasure of imagination, it will never apply itself
sufficiently to works of that species to acquire a competent knowledge in them.
Page no 24- “a good judgement does not necessarily arise from a quick sensibility of
pleasure”
Burke proceeds to say that as far as good Taste is concerned, the understanding operates and
in its operations in reality far from being always sudden and when it is sudden, it is often far
from being right. It is known that the Taste is improved exactly as we improve our judgement, by
extending our knowledge, by a steady attention to our object, and by frequent exercise. Those
who have not taken this method and if their Taste decides quickly, its always uncertainly and
their quickness is owing to their presumption and rashness.

PART TWO-

Sec I- “The passion caused by the great and sublime in nature when those causes operate most
powerfully is astonishment and astonishment is that state of the soul in which all its motions are
suspended with some degree of horror” When this happens mind is filled with its object entirely
and there is no space to entertain any other nor by consequence reason on that object which
employees it. astonishment is the effect of the sublime in its highest degree the inferior effects
are admiration, reverence, and respect.

Sec II- Fear is more powerful than passion, fear effectually Robs the mind of all its power of
acting and reasoning. Anything which is terrible with regard to site is sublime to as it is
impossible to look on anything as little or trifling that may be dangerous, without the concern of
their dimensions or size. there are animals like cockroach or lizards who are not large yet they
are capable of raising the idea of the sublime because they are considered as objects of terror.
When we think about ocean and mind is filled with different prospect in goes into the sublime
Core and a level plane of vast extent on land certainly means no idea. In detail is in all cases
but so ever either more openly or latently the ruling principle of the sublime. Then burke talks
about the affinity to these ideas like terror admiration or astonishment and their use in different
languages.

Sec III- Obscurity is a very important element to the sublime, when we know the full extent of
any danger we can accustom our eyes to it a great deal of the apprehension vanishes. How
much the great night adds to our dread, How much the lotions of Ghost and Goblin which none
can form clear ideas affect Minds which give credit to the popular tales concerning such sort of
beings. Burke Provides an example of Milton’s description of death in the second book.

Sec IV- One thing to make an idea clear and another to make it affecting to the imagination.
Burke says that drawing can’t help in affecting the passion as it provides great clearness, while
by words, the obscurity is maintained and the passion is influenced greatly.
He says that he could perceive that painting had much influence on common sort of people’s
passion. He doesn’t reject painting and acknowledges it but the passions are more roused by a
fanatic preacher or by ballads of Chevy-Chase. Poetry has more powerful dominion over the
passions than the other art. He also states out the reason that why obscure idea is more
affecting than the clear. Its because of ‘our ignorance of things that causes all our admiration
and chiefly excite our passions.” The idea of eternity and infinity are the most affecting we have
as there is not much we understand of it. He gives an example of Satan’s portrait given by John
Milton in paradise lost:

Sec V- Here he talks about. “I know of nothing which is not some modification of power” and this
Branch Rises as naturally as the other two branches from terror the common stock of everything
that is sublime. Says that the idea of pain in its highest degree is much stronger than the highest
degree of pleasure and that it preserves the same superiority through all the subordinate
gradations. For the enjoyment of pleasure no great efforts of power are at all necessary for
pleasure must be stolen and not forced upon us pleasure follows the will and therefore we are
generally affected with hit by many things of a force greatly inferior to our own. but pain is
always inflicted by a power in some ways superior because we never submit to paint willingly so
that strength violence pain and terror are ideas that Rush in Upon The Mind together. He gives
an example that anox is a creature of vast strength but he is an innocent creature extremely
service able and not it all dangerous for which reas on the idea of an Ox is by no means Grand
Abul is strong to but his strength is of another kind of an very destructive the idea of a bull is
therefore great and it has frequently a place in sublime descriptions and elevating comparisons.

He also give example of dog and wools the race of dogs in many of their kinds of generally a
competent degree of strength and Swift nest and the exert 30 and other valuable qualities which
the possess greatly to our convenience and pleasure, dogs are indeed the most social
affectionate and amiable animals of the whole brute creation. wolfs have not more strength than
several species of dogs but on their account of their manageable is not despicable it is not
excluded from grand descriptions and similitudes.
Another example the power which Rises from institution in Kings in commanders has the same
connection with terror source are frequently addressed with the title of trade Majesty and it may
be observe that young person little acquainted with the world and who have not been used to
approach men in power are commonly struck with an awe which takes away the free use of their
faculties. He also gives an example of God saying that he purposely avoided this subject to
introduce the idea of that great in tremendous being as an example in an argument so light as
this though it frequently occurred to me not as an objection to but as a strong confirmation of my
nations in this matter. File rec considered the God merely as he is an object of the
understanding which forms a complex idea of power wisdom justice goodness all stretched to a
degree for exceeding the bounds of our comprehension while we consider the dignity in this
refined and abstracted light the imaginations and passions are little or nothing affected to in a
just Idea none of his attribute are predominant yet to our imagination his power his by far the
most striking. If we rejoice very choice with trembling and even while we are receiving benefits
we cannot but shutter at a power which can confer benefits of such mighty importance.Power is
undoubly a capital source of the sublime this will point out evidentally from wednes its energy is
derived and to what class of Ideas we ought to unite it.
Sec VII- In the seventh section he talks about the greatness of dimension, the vastness. The
greatness of dimension is a powerful cause of sublime. It's the most evident and common
observation, no need for much illustration. Extension is in either length height or depth of these
the length strikes least and 100 yards of even ground will never work such an effect as a tower
and 100 yards high or a rock or mountain of that altitude. And the height is less Grand and
depth A perpendicular has more force informing the sublime than an inclined plane and the
effects of a rug and broken surface seem stronger than where it is smooth and polished He says
that if the great extreme of dimension is sublime so the last extreme of littleness is in some
major sublime like wise When we attend to The Infinite divisibility of matter when we pursue
animal life into these excessively small and yet organized being that escape the nicest
inquisition of the sense when we push are discoveries at downward and consider those
creatures so many degrees get smaller in tracing which the imagination is lost as well as the
sense we become amazed and confounded at the wonders of the minuteness; nor can we
distinguish in its effect this extreme of littleness from the vast itself.

Sec VIII- Infinity is another source of the sublime. Infinity tends to fill the mind with that sort of
delightful horror which is the most genuine effect and truest test of the sublime. We are
deceived in the like manner is the parts of some large object are so continue to any indifferent
number that the imagination meets no check which may hinder it's extending them at pleasure.
If you hold up a straight pole with your eye to one end it will seem extended up to a length
almost incredible. place several uniform and equidistant marks on the school they will cause the
same deception and seem to multiply without end, the senses strongly affected in some one
manner, cannot quickly change their tenor or adapt themselves to other things; but they
continue in their old channel until the strength of the first mover decays. That’s the reason some
madmen get stuck in the constant repetition of some remark, some complaint, or song, which
having struck powerfully on their disordered imagination, continues to the end of their lives.

Sec IX- Succession and uniformity of parts are what constitute the artificial infinite.
Succession- important that parts continue for a long period and in such a direction according to
the frequent impulses of senses that impress the imagination which can go beyond their actual
limits.
Uniformity- because if the change appears in the figure of parts then the imagination can’t
continue to make progress beyond limits, every alteration there is the termination of an idea and
the beginning of another which makes it impossible to continue that uninterrupted progression.
He gives the rotund example, that it has such a noble effect because you can,t fix boundaries,
turn any way and the same subject seems to continue but the parts must be uniform as well.
Any small difference be it in figure, disposition or even colour can interrupt the idea or chain or
infinity. The ancient heathen temples were built on these principles of succession and uniformity,
its grand appearence was in rectangular form with a range of uniform pillars on every side. From
the same cause also may be derived the grand effect of the isles in many of our own cathedrals.
Sec X-

PART THREE
Buke says that, beauty means that quality or those qualities in bodies by which they cause love
or a passion similar to it. He says that we shall have a strong desire for a woman of no
remarkable beauty wild the greatest beauty in men or in other animals do it causes love yet
excites nothing it all of desire. This he tries to show that the patient caused by beauty which
work calls love is different from Desire though Desire sometimes may operate along with it. He
says that we must attribute those Viren and tensuous patient to desire and the consequent
emotions of the body which attend what is called love in some of its ordinary acceptations and
not to the effects of beauty merely as it is such.

SEC IV

Burke talks about the proportions in the human species he says that it must be shown that
wherever these proportions are found exact, the person to whom they belong is beautiful. Is that
it must be like while show that these parts stand in such a relation to each other that the
comparison between them maybe easily made and that the action of the mind may natural
result from it. He says that he has many times carefully examine many of those proportions and
found them hold very nearly or together alike in many subject which were not only very different
from one another but where one has been very beautiful and the other remote from beauty.
(Here he is talking about the comparisons between different proportions of different things like
observed comparisons which are talked about now) He implies or states that the comparisons
are so observed that he does not see how any effect going to proportion can result from them
they are often so removed from each other in situation nature and office for example the next
day in beautiful body should measure with the calf of the leg it should like wise be twice the
circumference of the rest and then Infinity of observation of this kind are to be found in the
writing and conversations of money to be found in handsome bodies. Delhi challenges that you
may assign any proportion you please to every part of the human body and then a painter shell
religiously observe them all and then not with standing those he may produce if he pleases a
very ugly figure. Then he questions that are these proportions exactly the same in all handsome
men or are they at all the proportions found in beautiful women Nobody will say that they are yet
both successful undoubtedly capable of beauty, and the female of the greatest; which
advantage I believe will hardly be attributed to the superior exactness of proportion in the first
sex.
SEC V

Burke in this section says that a wrong idea which is perceived by many is that deformity bears
to beauty to which it has been considered as the opposite on this principle it was concluded that
where the causes of deformity were removed beauty must naturally and necessarily be
introduced. he says that “for deformity is opposed, not to beauty but to the compleat form.”

Says the deformity arises from the want of the common proportions; but the necessary result of
their existence in any object is not beauty he further says that we are so wonderfully formed that
while we are creature vehemently desires of Novelty we are as strongly attached to habit and
custom but it is the nature of things which hold us by custom to affect us very little while we are
in possession of them but strongly when they are absent. To explain this point further he gives
an example:

With the true opposite you beauty is not disproportion or deformity but earlines and as it
proceeds from causes opposite to those of positive beauty we cannot consider it until we come
to treat of that.

SEC IX

In this section he talks about perfection not being the cause of beauty there is another notion
another current notion pretty closely Elite to the proportion one that perfection is consistent
cause of beauty. here he says that this quality is most shown or seen in females sex or in
women but this quality which female sex contain it always carries within idea of weakness and
Imperfection women are very sensible of this; for which reason they learn to lisp the totter in
their walk and to counterfeit Weakness and even sickness. he says in all this, women, they are
guided by nature. “Beauty in distress is much the most affecting beauty” He proceeds by saying
that it is an everybody is mouth that we ought to love perfection but according to him this is
sufficient proof that it is not the proper object of love.

SEC X

He says that we are attracted or creep up on our hearts, engage our hearts with loveliness are
by the soft virtues, rather than those shining or strong qualities like easiness of temper,
compassion, kindness and liberty. And the virtues that cause admiration are of the sublimer kind
and produce terror rather than love, like fortitude, justice, and wisdom. It is rather the soft green
of the soul on which we rest our eyes, that are fatigued with beholding more glaring objects.
Example-

SEC XII

SEC XIII
He says that most obvious point that presents itself to us in examining any object is its extent or
quantity. He talks about the diminutives used in different languages for objects of love. These
Theme new tips for commonly added by the greeks to the names of persons with whom the
Converse on terms of friendship and familiarity. Though Romans were people of quick and
delicate feelings yet they naturally slid into the lessening termination upon the same occasion
instantly in the English language the diminishing link was added to the name of the person and
things that were objects of love some retain still as darling or little dear and a few others. It is
usual to add endearing name of little to everything we love and the French and Italians make
use of these affectionate diminutives even more than us. Animal creation out of our own species
it is the small we are inclined to; be fond of little birds and some of the smaller kinds of beasts.
Admiration is the cause of the sublime, always dwells on great objects and terrible; Love dwells
on small ones and pleasing. There is a white difference between admiration and law we submit
to what we admire but we love but submits to us semi college in one case we are forced, in the
other we are flattered into compliance. in short, the ideas of the sublime and the beautiful stand
on foundation so different that it is hard to think of reconciling them in the same subject without
considerably lessening the effect of one or the other upon the passion.

SEC XIV

In this section he talks about smoothness and claims that he doesn’t remember anything
beautiful which is not smooth. Smooth slopes of earth in gardens, smooth streams in landscape,
smooth coats of birds, smooth skin of fine women and in several sorts of ornamental furniture,
smooth and polished surfaces. He says that any beautiful object, give it a broken and rugged
surface, well formed maybe in other respects, it pleases no longer.