Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

David Hume, a Scottish philosopher, wrote Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, which was originally printed in 1779. Three philosophers named Demea, Philo, and Cleanthes engage in a discourse in which they discuss the essence of God’s existence. Scholars disagree as to whether or not these titles refer to particular philosophers, ancient or modern. All three of them acknowledge the existence of a god, but their views on God’s nature or qualities and whether or not people may acquire knowledge of a deity are very different. A variety of reasons for the presence of God and arguments put forth by those who think we can learn more about God’s nature are discussed by Hume’s characters in the Dialogues. The argument from design, for which Hume employs a house, and whether there is more suffering or good in the world are two examples of such hot-button issues. A variety of reasons for the presence of God and arguments put forth by those who think we can learn more about God’s nature are discussed by Hume’s characters in the Dialogues. The argument from design, for which Hume employs a house, and whether there is more suffering or good in the world are two examples of such hot-button issues.