`In every civilized community': Hume on belief and the demise of religion
International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 55 (3):171-185 (2004)
| Abstract | This paper considers the claim that Hume washostile to religion and religious belief, andhoped for their demise. Part one examines hisapproach to belief, showing how commentatorstake him to see religious belief asnon-natural. Part two challenges thisconclusion by arguing, first, that Hume'sdistinction between natural and artificialvirtue allows the term ``natural'' to coverreligious belief as well; second, that Humehimself never denies religious belief isnatural, and, third, that he takes religion tobe a necessary part of any flourishing society. The target of Hume's critical remarks onreligion, it is then emphasized, are forms of``false'' religion, which arise from thecorrupting influence of passion, hypocrisy,bigotry, enthusiasm, and superstition. Atbest, it is concluded, the claim that Hume washostile to religion requires qualification,while the view that he was in favor of itsactual demise is largely unwarranted. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,705 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesSteven M. Bayne (2007). Hume on Miracles: Would It Take a Miracle to Believe in a Miracle? Southern Journal of Philosophy 45 (1):1-29.
Stanley Tweyman (1986). Scepticism and Belief in Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Distributors for the U.S.A. And Canada, Kluwer Academic.
Terence Penelhum (1997). A Religion Without Talking: Religious Belief and Natural Belief in Hume's Philosophy of Religion Beryl Logan New York: Peter Lang, 1993. Xii + 184 Pp., $42.95 US. [REVIEW] Dialogue 36 (04):856-.
D. Z. Phillips & Timothy Tessin (eds.) (1999). Religion and Hume's Legacy. St. Martin's Press, Scholarly and Reference Division.
P. J. E. Kail (2007). Understanding Hume's Natural History of Religion. Philosophical Quarterly 57 (227):190–211.
David Hume (1998/2008). Principal Writings on Religion Including Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion ; and, the Natural History of Religion. Oxford University Press.
Lorne Falkenstein (2003). Hume's Project in ‘the Natural History of Religion’. Religious Studies 39 (1):1-21.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads20 ( #61,589 of 549,131 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,397 of 549,131 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
