RE: The Similarities Between Addison and Burke

Hi Fred –

I like your insight about pleasures being natural or manmade, and that the former are closer to God. I thought it was interesting how much Burke’s view of taste is similar to Addison’s pleasures of the imagination, particularly in regards to nature. To me, both men praised the natural, Burke reasoning that the most natural manners are displayed when tasting something new, and Addison raving about the superior beauty and art in nature.

Additionally, I really enjoyed your comment that “Locke is more of a scientist and believe[s] in a more refined hierarchy of intelligence and academia based upon scholarly research, [while] Burke seems to be more of a poet and has a more bohemian or artistic approach to taste, [and applies] more to the spirit, soul, or mind” because it precisely sums up the philosophers’ views. I especially liked how you described Burke’s approach to taste as “bohemian or artistic” because he certainly relied more on his experiences and observations than scholarly research.