Exploring Faith in Conjunction with Science Through Hume’s 'Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion' Anonymous College

Science and religion are not often two things that go hand in hand. Conflict may arise when religious beliefs are tested for how scientific or factual they may be, whereas from a religious aspect, the divinity of God is beyond earthly truths. In David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, the three main characters explore and discuss the rationality in religion and whether we live in a truly perfect and flawless universe. Their discourse is empirical in nature, a branch of philosophy that is based upon knowledge being gained from experience. Through discussions based on empiricist arguments, and a priori and a posteriori truths, the characters attempt to establish whether God is flawless in his nature, or destructive and evil. By anthropomorphizing God, it is easier to talk about him from a more subjective point of view, which the characters do throughout their discussions: “And is it possible…that after all these reflections…you still stick to your anthropomorphism?” (Hume 44).

Explication

In Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, we are introduced to three main characters that take part in the dialogues: Demea, Cleanthes, and Philo. They each have their own approach to rationalizing the world they inhabit....