HUM 104: AGE OF DARWIN -- Part III -- Hume and Natural Religion

9/25 Tu Hume -- Introduction

• Readings: Introduction by Richard H. Popkin to the Dialogues, pp. vii to xx

• Checking questions:
  Give a short answer to the following questions on the basis of your reading:
  1. What are the major works of David Hume?
  2. Did David Hume publish the Dialogues during his lifetime? Why?
  3. What is the main theme of the Dialogues?
  4. What is natural religion? What is fideism?
  5. What is the design argument?

• Course Notes in pdf format: Part 4, Chapter 11

9/27 Th Hume -- Skepticism

• Readings: Hume, Dialogues, 1, 2, part 1

• Study questions:
  1. What is Hume's argument for using the form of the dialogue to deal with natural religion?
  2. What is Cleanthes' point agains skepticism on page 5-6? Do you think it applies to philosophy in general?
  3. What is Philo's answer to Cleanthes' argument (p.7-8)?
  4. Explain Philo's charge against priestcraft. What is Cleanthes' answer? Is it a good answer?

• Course Notes in pdf format: Part 4, Chapter 12

10/2 Tu Hume -- The Design argument: Teleology and Empiricism

• Readings: Hume, Dialogues parts 2 and 3

• Study questions:
  Give a short answer to the following questions on the basis of your reading:
  1. Both Demea and Philo argue that 1- we should distinguish the issues of the being of God and of the nature of God; 2- while the being of god is unquestionable, the nature of God is unknowable. That said, they provide arguments of two clearly different style. What is the difference between their argumentations?
  2. Give the structure of the design argument p.15. What is the main premise? What is the rule of inference that is used? What is(are) the exact conclusion(s)?
  3. What are the criteria for an argument by analogy to be a good argument? Can you think of an analogy that obviously fails?
  4. What are the critics of Philo against Cleanthes' use of analogy between the humanly designed object and the universe?
  5. What are Cleanthes' two illustrations of his thesis in part III? Do you think they fall out of the objections that Philo formulated?

• Course Notes in pdf format: Part 4, Chapter 13

10/4 Th Hume -- Problems with the design argument

• Readings: Hume, Dialogues parts 4 and 5

• Study questions:
  Give a short answer to the following questions on the basis of your reading:
  1. Cleanthes accuses Demea and Philo of "mysticism". Explain what mysticism is according to Cleanthes and why he thinks that Philo and Demea are a kind of mystics. Why is it insulting to Demea and Philo?
  2. Philo and Demea accuses Cleanthes of anthropomorphism. Explain.
  3. What is the main objection that Philo raises in part 4 against the design argument?
  4. What is the argument in the last paragraph of p.31 (paragraph before he mentions the Peripatetics)?
  5. In part 5, Philo draws the consequences of the design argument about the nature of God(s). What are they? Why do these consequences amount to objections against the design argument?

• Course Notes in pdf format: Part 4, Chapter 14

10/9 Tu Hume -- Belly or Brain?

• Readings: Hume, Dialogues part 6,7,8

• Study questions:
  Give a short answer to the following questions on the basis of your reading:
  1. In part 6, Philo proposes a new hypothesis, based on the same kind of reasoning as the design argument. To what does he think the world bear a great resemblance? What is "God" like, if we follow the analogy?
  2. Cleanthes objects to this hypothesis that it implies the eternity of the world. Why does he thinks that it is absurd to take the world as being eternal? What is Philo's answer?
  3. In Part 7, Philo yet proposes another possible hypothesis for the origin and constitution of the world. What is it? Why does he think that such hypothesis is not "less intelligible or less conformable to experience " than Cleanthes' hypothesis?
  4. Demea objects that such a grest vegetatibe or generative principle cries out for an explanation, most probably in terms of design. What is Philo's answer?
  5. Explain the last hypothesis that Philo considers concerning the origin and constitution of the world's order in part 8.
  6. Why, according to Philo, does to whole discussion between these different systems "prepare a complete triumph for the skeptics"?

• Course Notes in pdf format: Part 4, Chapter 15

10/11 Th Hume -- A priori arguments for the existence of God

• Readings: Hume, Dialogues part 9

• Study questions:
  Give a short answer to the following questions on the basis of your reading:
  1. Reconstruct Demea's argument for the existence of God.
  2. What "decisive" argument does Cleanthes oppose to Demea's?
  3. Philo "observes" that "the argument a priori has seldom been found very convincing, except to people of a metaphysical head [...]". What is an argument a priiori? What characteristic of Philo's philosophy makes him think that anybody of common sense cannot be convinced by a priori arguments?
  4. What do you think of Demea's argument? Is it convincing to you? More, or less, convincing than the design argument?

• Course Notes in pdf format: Part 4, Chapter 16

10/16 PEER REVIEW -- MANDATORY -- Come in class with your paper

10/23 Tu Hume -- Conclusion

• Readings: Hume, Dialogues part 12

• Study questions
  Give a short answer to the following questions on the basis of your reading:
  1. Explain why Philo believes that the battle between atheists and theists is a "verbal dispute".
  2. Explain why Philoe does not believe that " the doctrine of a future state is so strong and necessary a security to morals that we never ought to abandon and neglect it " ? And in general, why does he think that "this kind of superstition" is not favorable to morality.
  3. Explain why, according to Philo, skepticism leads to true religion.

• Course Notes in pdf format: Part 4, Chapter 17