Hume: Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion: And Other WritingsDorothy Coleman David Hume's Dialogues concerning Natural Religion, first published in 1779, is one of the most influential works in the philosophy of religion and the most artful instance of philosophical dialogue since the dialogues of Plato. It presents a fictional conversation between a sceptic, an orthodox Christian, and a Newtonian theist concerning evidence for the existence of an intelligent cause of nature based on observable features of the world. This edition presents it together with several of Hume's other, shorter writings about religion, and with brief selections from the work of Pierre Bayle, who influenced both Hume's views on religion and the dialectical style of the Dialogues. The volume is completed by an introduction which sets the Dialogues in its philosophical and historical contexts. |
Contents
| 6 | |
Section 2 | 17 |
Section 3 | 29 |
Section 4 | 35 |
Section 5 | 41 |
Section 6 | 46 |
Section 7 | 52 |
Section 8 | 58 |
Section 11 | 78 |
Section 12 | 89 |
Section 13 | 105 |
Section 14 | 109 |
Section 15 | 113 |
Section 16 | 115 |
Section 17 | 118 |
Section 18 | 124 |
Section 9 | 63 |
Section 10 | 68 |
Section 19 | 137 |
Common terms and phrases
absurd allow analogy ancient animal anthropomorphism appear argument arrangement ascribe assert atheist attributes Bayle benevolence body cause Cicero circumstances Colin MacLaurin concerning contrivance cosmogony creatures deity Demea Dialogues difficulties Diodorus Siculus dispute divine effects enquiry Epicurean eternity evil existence experience faculties farther Francis Hutcheson George Berkeley give greater happiness Hermippus human reason human understanding Hume Hume’s hypothesis ideas imagine incomprehensible inference infinite intelligent Livy Manicheans mankind manner matter melancholy mind misery moral motion natural religion necessity never objects observe opinion origin pains particular passions perfect phenomena philosophical philosophical scepticism Pierre Bayle pleasure polytheism present pretend principles priori produce proofs prove Pyrrhonism recourse regard religious replied Cleanthes replied Philo resemblance scepticism sect seems sense sentiment similar sophism species Stoics Stratonicians superstition suppose supposition supreme theism Theogony theology things thought truth universe vegetation vulgar whole Zoroaster
Popular passages
Page 10 - Passion and apathy, and glory and shame, Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy: Yet with a pleasing sorcery could charm Pain for a while, or anguish, and excite Fallacious hope, or arm the obdured' breast With stubborn patience as with triple steel.