Hume "I was from the beginning scandalised, I must own, with this resemblance between the Deity and human creatures." --Philo David Hume wrote much about the subject of religion, much of it negative. In this paper we shall attempt to follow Hume's arguments against Deism as Someone knowable from the wake He allegedly makes as He passes. This kind of Deism he lays to rest. Then, digging deeper, we shall try our hand at a critique of his critique of religion, of resurrecting a natural belief in God. Finally, if there's anything Hume would like to say as a final rejoinder, we shall let him have his last word and call the matter closed. To allege the occurrence of order in creation, purpose in its constituent parts and in its constituted whole, regularity in the meter of its rhythm and syncopations, and mindful structure in the design and construction of Nature is by far the most widely used and generally accepted ground for launching from the world belief in an intelligent and omnipotent designer god. One does not have to read for very long to find some modern intellectual involved in the analysis of some part of Nature come to the "Aha!" that there's a power at work imposing order, design, structure and purpose in creation. Modern religious piety salivates at the prospect of converting scientists and will take them any way it can. From Plato to Planck the problematic lion of religion must be rendered safe and tame. Religion must be reasonable, for, after all, we are reasonable "men." Einstein writes that the scientist's "religious feeling takes the form of rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural! law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection." We have been struck dumb, however; we can no longer be incautious with such temptations to believe, with such sirens sounding for sensible, systematic sureness.
Hume was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on May 7, 1711. ... Hume's Treatise presented radical philosophical ideas and defined Hume as one of the first skeptics. ... Hume denies the reasonableness of right and wrong. ... Hume was referring to his History of Great Britain. ... Hume again attacked the behavior of Parliament. ...
For Hume the highest court of appeal is probability. ... Hume says that witnesses with conflicts of interest are unreliable. I think these are the only unreliable witnesses that Hume discusses. ... Hume says that people believe in miracles for three reasons. ... All Hume is doing is avoiding answering the real question. ...
Born in Edinburgh, Hume was intended to go into law. ... In 1776 David Hume died from a tumour in his liver. One of Hume's beliefs was his view on the external world. ... This relates to Hume's Beliefs on Miracles. ... Hume had strong thoughts about the grounds of morality. ...
Hume argues that doctrine both of necessity and liberty hold true. ... Hume goes on to say that it has been noted that there is a "great uniformity" in the actions of men. ... Hume goes on further to define liberty as the power of acting or not acting according to the determinations of the will of a being. Hume asserts that everyone will side with this view and since deliberations based on will are possible, liberty holds true. Thus, Hume goes on to prove his point that liberty and necessity hold true. ...
According to Hume knowledge of matters of fact come from previous experience. ... It can be affirmed that 2 + 2 equals 4, according to Hume's "relations of ideas." ... By claiming that the sun will rise tomorrow according to Hume is not false, nor is it true. ... Hume grouped perceptions and experiences into one of two categories: impressions and ideas. (238) According to Hume, ideas are memories of sensations but impressions are the cause of the sensation. ... Hume believed that ideas were just dull imitations of impressions. ...
Hume provides two reasons supporting this claim. ... (Hume,634) His second reason is supported by those with a defected organ. ... (Hume,634) Ideas are faint copies of these impressions, caused by one's reflection. ... Hume supports this claim with an example concerning the nourishment of bread. ... (W,64) Warnock gives an example illustrating this objection on Hume's argument. ...
What is Hume's problem of induction? ... Hume first wrote " a treatise of Human nature " which as Hume put it "fell stillborn from the press" it was "An enquiry concerning human understanding" (from here this will be referred to as "the enquiry") in which Hume put forward, in the form we are concerned with, the problem of induction and his own response to that problem. ... Arguably Hume's most famous contribution to philosophy was the problem of induction. ... But as Hume points out it is conceivable that nature will change in some way, therefore in Hume's philosophy it is poss...
Through the reading of Plato's Republic and Hume's An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals the reader can see many conflicts in ideas such as the idea between Thrasymachus and Hume on Justice. ... (Plato 14) Hume on the other hand believes that justice is significant for its usefulness. ... (Hume 21) Hume would not agree with Thrasymachus" idea of justice because it does not always prove useful. ... (Hume 21-22) The variations in laws from society to society are also a difference of opinion between Thrasymachus and Hume. ... While Hume's ideas are all based on how...
Though it seems stereotypically immoral, philosopher David Hume defended the act, labeling suicide as sometimes permissible. ... Hume's arguments consist on debating the three consequences that could possibly occur in the events of a suicide. Hume states that suicide is not always a transgression of our duty to god, our duty to our neighbours, and our duty to ourselves (Hume: 4). ... The intricate part of Hume's argument, is that he is not forthrightly stating that suicide is always permissible, it is the certain circumstances that can justify suicide that Hume is preaching. ... Hum...
