How did David Hume propose a standard of taste?

In his influential essay "Of the Standard of Taste" (1757), David Hume addressed the challenge of reconciling diverse individual sentiments regarding beauty and art. While acknowledging that taste is a form of emotionally inspired discrimination, he argued that it is natural for humans to seek a rule or standard to confirm some sentiments and condemn others.1

Hume proposed that this standard is found in the ideal "man of taste". Such an individual possesses specific qualities that allow for refined aesthetic judgment:1

• Delicacy of imagination: A heightened sensibility required to perceive and appreciate finer emotions.1
• Freedom from prejudice: The ability to make discriminations unclouded by emotional distemper or abnormal conditions, much like how one must have a healthy palate to accurately judge food and drink.1
• Practice and comparison: Hume outlined procedures for the education of taste, emphasizing that consistent experience and the comparison of different works are essential for developing critical judgment.1

By relying on the consensus of these qualified critics, Hume sought to establish a basis for objective evaluation despite the subjective nature of aesthetic experience.1