Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion: Annotated
- ISBN-10
- 1091737673
- ISBN-13
- 9781091737679
- Series
- Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
- Category
- Philosophy
- Pages
- 140
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2019-03-27
- Publisher
- Independently Published
- Author
- David Hume
Description
David Hume, the 18th century philosopher, economist, and historian, uses a lively Socratic discussion by three characters to explore the nature of religion and God, particularly whether and how one can know that God exists.Having been accused of heresy during his lifetime, Hume knew not to publish this book until after his death, so he bequeathed the manuscript, a few days before his death, to his printer, but if the printer didn't publish it within 2 years, the manuscript would go to Hume's nephew, also named David Hume, which it did and the nephew did publish it.One of the oldest and most popular arguments for the existence of God is the design argument, that order and "purpose" in the world must be proof of a divine origin: Where one sees a watch, one may infer the existence of the watchmaker. Here Philo, Cleanthes, and Demea volley their arguments back and forth. Cleanthes advocates for the existence of God based upon observed design in the world, Philo counters that argument, and Demea represents rigid orthodoxy. The dialogues continue for a total of 12 parts, exploring many ideas such as that there may be more than one supreme God, that our universe may have been spawned without a creator from an older one as a plant procreates by spreading its seeds, and other questions about the natural world and the concept of the Deity.Scholars disagree regarding which character most closely represents Hume's own voice in the dialogues, but most say that Philo speaks for Hume. The Dialogues and Hume's other philosophical writings about the nature of "knowing" would lead one to a conclusion that Hume was an agnostic, not an atheist.In the introduction, as a letter from Pamphilus to Hermippus, Hume explains his choice of the dialogue as the style for this presentation: "Any question of philosophy ... which is so OBSCURE and UNCERTAIN, that human reason can reach no fixed determination with regard to it; if it should be treated at all, seems to lead us naturally into the style of dialogue and conversation. Reasonable men may be allowed to differ, where no one can reasonably be positive. Opposite sentiments, even without any decision, afford an agreeable amusement; and if the subject be curious and interesting, the book carries us, in a manner, into company; and unites the two greatest and purest pleasures of human life, study and society."Open this eBook and you will find yourself in Cleanthes' library alongside Pamphilus, the pupil of Cleanthes, as he silently audits these dialogues concerning natural religion among Cleanthes, the precise philosopher, Philo, the sceptic, and Demea, the inflexibly orthodox believer.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2023-09-06
- 158 pages
- Paperback
- BoD – Books on Demand
-
- 2023-01-08
- 158 pages
- Paperback
- BoD – Books on Demand
-
- 2017-12-09
- 114 pages
- Paperback
- Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Similar books
-
Ecofeminist Philosophy: A Western Perspective on what it is and why it Matters
By Karen WarrenWijkman and Timberlake , Natural Disasters , 27 . 32. Wijkman and Timberlake , Natural Disasters , 49 . 33. Seager , New State of the Earth Atlas , 121 .
-
Each Day a Renewed Beginning: Meditations for a Peaceful Journey
By Karen Casey7. Sometimes the things that frighten you the most can be the biggest sources of strength. —Iris Timberlake or Most of us learn as we mature that strength.
-
Emerging Trends in Continental Philosophy
By Todd May28 It is therefore not difficult to reconcile Badiou«s references to historical ... On the one hand, Badiou«s major essays on Rancière all deal with the ...
-
Pierre Bayle's Cartesian Metaphysics: Rediscovering Early Modern Philosophy
By Todd RyanBayle offers a similar assessment in a letter to Minutoli: There has just been ... touchant la tran[s]substantiation, et leur conformité avec le calvinisme.
-
Negotiating a Settlement in Northern Ireland, 1969-2019
By John Coakley, Jennifer ToddHowever, acceptance of the deal was driven in part by threats of worse to come should agreement ... see Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006, s.
-
The Philosopher's Way
By Pearson Education, Pearson Education Staff, Inc.Several versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable.
-
Swimmer in a Dark Sea
By Pierce TimberlakeTake a tour through the mind of America's undiscovered philosopher: Pierce Timberlake. Swimmer in a Dark Sea is a dizzying ride through a dazzling array of profound concepts.
-
Bringing Peace Home: Feminism, Violence, and Nature
By Karen Warren, Duane L. Cady"This collection of works is ambitious, well documented, thoroughly—though not turgidly—referenced, and comprehensively indexed.
-
Ecological Feminism
By Karen Warren, Barbara Wells-HoweThe essays in this volume deal with a wide variety of subjects - the essential distinction between the "ecofeminist" and the "ecofeminine," the link between violence and environmental exploitation, feminism's relationship to animal rights ...
-
Catharine Macaulay's Republican Enlightenment
By Karen Green6 Davies, Catharine Macaulay and Mercy Otis Warren, 228; Franklin Bowditch Dexter (ed.), The Literary Diary of Ezra Stiles (New York: C. Scribner's Sons, ...