Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion is a philosophical work by the Scottish philosopher David Hume, first published in 1779. Through dialogue, three philosophers named Demea, Philo, and Cleanthes debate the nature of God's existence. Whether or not these names reference specific philosophers, ancient or otherwise, remains a topic of scholarly dispute. While all three agree that a god exists, they differ sharply in opinion on God's nature or attributes and how, or if, humankind can come to knowledge of a deity.
In the Dialogues, Hume's characters debate a number of arguments for the existence of God, and arguments whose proponents believe through which we may come to know the nature of God. Such topics debated include the argument from design—for which Hume uses a house as an analogy—and whether there is more suffering or good in the world (argument from evil).[1]
Hume started writing the Dialogues in 1750 but did not complete them until 1776, shortly before his death. They are based partly on Cicero's De Natura Deorum. The Dialogues were published posthumously in 1779, originally with neither the author's nor the publisher's name.[2]
In The Blind Watchmaker (1986), evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins discussed his choice to title his book after theologian William Paley's famous statement of the teleological argument, the watchmaker analogy, and noted that Hume's critique of the argument from design as an explanation of design in nature was the initial criticism that would ultimately be answered by Charles Darwin in On the Origin of Species (1859).[3] In the second part of the Dialogues (1779), the character Philo observes that animal reproduction appears to be more responsible for the intricacies and order of animal bodies rather than intelligent design, stating:
But were we ever so much assured, that a thought and reason, resembling the human, were to be found throughout the whole universe, and were its activity elsewhere vastly greater and more commanding than it appears in this globe; yet I cannot see, why the operations of a world constituted, arranged, adjusted, can with any propriety be extended to a world which is in its embryo state, and is advancing towards that constitution and arrangement. By observation, we know somewhat of the economy, action, and nourishment of a finished animal; but we must transfer with great caution that observation to the growth of a foetus in the womb, and still more to the formation of an animalcule in the loins of its male parent. Nature, we find, even from our limited experience, possesses an infinite number of springs and principles, which incessantly discover themselves on every change of her position and situation.[4]
^Willis, Andre C. (19 June 2015). Toward a Humean True Religion: Genuine Theism, Moderate Hope, and Practical Morality. Penn State Press. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-271-06578-6.
^Hume, David (1779). Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (Second ed.). London: Penguin Books, Limited. p. 3. Retrieved 20 June 2016. via Google Books
^Dawkins, Richard (1996) [1986]. The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 7–11. ISBN 978-0393351491.
^Hume, David (2006) [1779]. Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. p. 19. ISBN 978-0486451114.
and 28 Related for: Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion information
19th centuries; see, for example, David Hume's DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion. Nature religion – Religious movement Original monotheism – Hypothesis...
non-teleological natural science. Especially important were the general logical arguments made by David Hume in his DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion, published...
work DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion when arguing against God as an unmoved mover: How, therefore, shall we satisfy ourselves concerning the cause...
more sense than materialism. David Hume Hume's DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion is a Socratic dialogue in which three philosophers discuss arguments...
Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous. His contemporary, the Scottish philosopher David Hume wrote DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion. A prominent...
the entirety of natural theology. David Hume's DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion played a major role in Hume's standpoint on natural theology. Hume's...
Hume's phrase occurs in the tenth book of his acclaimed DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion, published posthumously in 1779. The character Philo begins...
the fittest implies that "might makes right" David Hume — DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion Evolution and philosophy — Does evolution make might right...
Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1762 Hume, David (1948). "Part II". DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion (with introduction by Norman Kemp Smith ed.). Social Sciences...
Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Random House. ISBN 978-0-7710-4143-3. Hume, David (1779). DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion . London. OL 7145748M...
exists. David Hume's formulation of the problem of evil in DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion is this: "[God's] power we allow [is] infinite: Whatever...
Publications. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-486-15134-2. Hume, David (1779). DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion. Penguin Books, Limited. pp. 1–. Kant, Immanuel (May 28...
374, Usener). David Hume paraphrased this passage in his DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion: "EPICURUS's old questions are yet unanswered. Is he willing...
Publications. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-486-15134-2. David Hume (1779). DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion. Penguin Books, Limited. pp. 1–. Immanuel Kant (May 28,...
of natural causes as other inherited traits in animals. In some countries, notably the United States, these tensions between science and religion have...
the DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion. Philonous was the author-surrogate of the Irish philosopher George Berkeley in his work Three Dialogues between...
(1779). DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion. London: Penguin Books. Calvert, Brian (1983). "Another problem about Part IX of Hume's Dialogues". International...
translated by Howard Eiland and Kevin McLaughlin) David Hume — DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion Edmund Husserl — Experience and Judgment (edited by Ludwig...
Houghton Mifflin Reference. pp. 106–107. Hume, David (1779). DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion. Penguin Books, Limited. p. 186. Is God willing to prevent...
source then are evils? Or why does He not remove them? In DialoguesconcerningNaturalReligion (1779), David Hume also attributes the argument to Epicurus:...
Enlightenment. He challenged the argument from design in his DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion (1779). Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) – German philosopher...
non-teleological natural science. Especially important were the general logical arguments made by David Hume in his DialoguesConcerningNaturalReligion, published...