Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

In Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, philosopher David Hume examines whether belief in God can be rational. The work takes the form of a debate between three characters: Cleanthes, who argues that the existence and nature of God can be empirically verified; Demea, who argues that God is completely beyond human knowledge; and Philo, a philosophical skeptic widely thought to represent Hume's own beliefs.

Much of the debate centers around Cleanthes' presentation of the analogical argument from design. According to this argument, the complexity and beauty of the universe can only be explained by inferring an intelligent designer, in the same way that one would infer a designer if one came across an intricately complicated machine. Philo presents several objections to this argument, with rejoinders by Cleanthes and occasional interjections by Demea.

By : David Hume (1711 - 1776)

Preface



Part 01



Part 02



Part 03



Part 04



Part 05



Part 06



Part 07



Part 08



Part 09



Part 10



Part 11



Part 12


It has been remarked, my HERMIPPUS, that though the ancient philosophers conveyed most of their instruction in the form of dialogue, this method of composition has been little practised in later ages, and has seldom succeeded in the hands of those who have attempted it. Accurate and regular argument, indeed, such as is now expected of philosophical inquirers, naturally throws a man into the methodical and didactic manner; where he can immediately, without preparation, explain the point at which he aims; and thence proceed, without interruption, to deduce the proofs on which it is established. To deliver a SYSTEM in conversation, scarcely appears natural; and while the dialogue-writer desires, by departing from the direct style of composition, to give a freer air to his performance, and avoid the appearance of Author and Reader, he is apt to run into a worse inconvenience, and convey the image of Pedagogue and Pupil. Or, if he carries on the dispute in the natural spirit of good company, by throwing in a variety of topics, and preserving a proper balance among the speakers, he often loses so much time in preparations and transitions, that the reader will scarcely think himself compensated, by all the graces of dialogue, for the order, brevity, and precision, which are sacrificed to them.

There are some subjects, however, to which dialogue-writing is peculiarly adapted, and where it is still preferable to the direct and simple method of composition.

Any point of doctrine, which is so obvious that it scarcely admits of dispute, but at the same time so important that it cannot be too often inculcated, seems to require some such method of handling it; where the novelty of the manner may compensate the triteness of the subject; where the vivacity of conversation may enforce the precept; and where the variety of lights, presented by various personages and characters, may appear neither tedious nor redundant.

Any question of philosophy, on the other hand, 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.

Happily, these circumstances are all to be found in the subject of NATURAL RELIGION. What truth so obvious, so certain, as the being of a God, which the most ignorant ages have acknowledged, for which the most refined geniuses have ambitiously striven to produce new proofs and arguments? What truth so important as this, which is the ground of all our hopes, the surest foundation of morality, the firmest support of society, and the only principle which ought never to be a moment absent from our thoughts and meditations? But, in treating of this obvious and important truth, what obscure questions occur concerning the nature of that Divine Being, his attributes, his decrees, his plan of providence? These have been always subjected to the disputations of men; concerning these human reason has not reached any certain determination. But these are topics so interesting, that we cannot restrain our restless inquiry with regard to them; though nothing but doubt, uncertainty, and contradiction, have as yet been the result of our most accurate researches.

This I had lately occasion to observe, while I passed, as usual, part of the summer season with CLEANTHES, and was present at those conversations of his with PHILO and DEMEA, of which I gave you lately some imperfect account. Your curiosity, you then told me, was so excited, that I must, of necessity, enter into a more exact detail of their reasonings, and display those various systems which they advanced with regard to so delicate a subject as that of natural religion. The remarkable contrast in their characters still further raised your expectations; while you opposed the accurate philosophical turn of CLEANTHES to the careless scepticism of PHILO, or compared either of their dispositions with the rigid inflexible orthodoxy of DEMEA. My youth rendered me a mere auditor of their disputes; and that curiosity, natural to the early season of life, has so deeply imprinted in my memory the whole chain and connection of their arguments, that, I hope, I shall not omit or confound any considerable part of them in the recital.

Comments

Random Post

  • The History Of Lady Barton
    06.10.2020 - 0 Comments
    This is the story of the three Cleveland siblings: Fanny, the innocent yet very sympathetic sister; Louisa,…
  • Just So Stories
    09.05.2019 - 0 Comments
    Just So Stories for Little Children is a 1902 collection of origin stories by the British author Rudyard…
  • Con sói đen và bảy chú dê con - truyện cổ tích ngụ ngôn
    22.10.2023 - 0 Comments
    Ngày xửa ngày xưa, có một con dê cái già sinh được bảy chú dê con. Mẹ nào mà chả thương con, dê mẹ thương yêu…
  • The Life Triumphant, Mastering the Heart and Mind
    01.06.2021 - 0 Comments
    Are you tired of ignoring your conscience? Do you want to to follow the inward guide to wherever it may lead?…
  • The Clue of the Twisted Candle
    24.02.2020 - 0 Comments
    Detective mystery story set in London, with some romance, and intriguing plot. The 4.15 from Victoria to…
  • A Short Description of Torre Abbey
    16.11.2020 - 0 Comments
    Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the time of Henry VIII, a significant part of the buildings…
  • La Comédie Humaine, Le Père Goriot
    14.09.2019 - 0 Comments
    Le Père Goriot est un roman d’Honoré de Balzac, écrit en 1834, dont la publication débute dans la Revue de…
  • Sự tích Thầy Lang Bất Đắc Dĩ - Truyện cổ tích Việt Nam
    28.10.2023 - 0 Comments
    Ngày xưa có một anh chàng tên là Tân làm nghề cày ruộng. Anh là người thông minh nhưng tính tình có phần nhút…
  • The Light Princess
    22.01.2020 - 0 Comments
    Plenty of princesses have been cursed by wicked witches, but the curse placed on this princess by her evil…
  • By What Authority?
    17.02.2021 - 0 Comments
    Two wealthy families are neighbors in Elizabethan England; one is staunchly Catholic and the other is…
  • Al Que Quiere! (and 18 more poems)
    28.10.2020 - 0 Comments
    A book of William Carlos Williams's early poetry. Included in this recording are 18 poems published by…
  • Những lá thư không xuất xứ | Chương 3 | Harry Potter và Hòn đá Phù thủy | Tập 1
    09.10.2023 - 0 Comments
    Một buổi sáng, Harry lần đầu tiên nhận được một lá thư đề gửi tên mình. Nhưng dì dượng của cậu tìm mọi cách…
  • The Scarlet Letter
    03.08.2019 - 0 Comments
    This book tells the story of Hester Prynne, a young woman who conceives a child while her husband is…
  • Anna Karenina (Dutch)
    25.12.2019 - 0 Comments
    Het gaat hier om een (ingekorte) Nederlandse vertaling van het klassieke werk van Leo Tolstoy. Een…
  • Van de Koele Meren des Doods
    04.12.2019 - 0 Comments
    Hedwig Marga de Fontayne is een naïeve, labiele vrouw die haar leven lang balanceert tussen waanzin en…
  • Sự tích Thầy cứu Trò - Truyện cổ tích Việt Nam
    27.10.2023 - 0 Comments
    Ngày xưa có một anh học trò côi cút hiền lành. Nghe tin ở một tỉnh Đàng ngoài có một ông thầy nổi tiếng tài…