Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
David Hume
David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion had not yet been published when he died in 1776. Even though the manuscript was mostly written during the 1750s, it did not appear until 1779. The subject itself was too delicate and controversial, and Hume’s dialectical examination of religious knowledge was especially provocative. What should we teach young people about religion? The characters Demea, Cleanthes, and Philo passionately present and defend three sharply different answers to that question. Demea opens the dialogue with a position derived from René Descartes and Father Malebranche—God’s nature is a mystery, but God’s existence can be proved logically. Cleanthes attacks that view, both because it leads to mysticism and because it attempts the impossible task of trying to establish existence on the basis pure reason, without appeal to sense experience. As an alternative, he offers a proof of both God’s existence and God’s nature based on the same kind of scientific reasoning established by Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton. Taking a skeptical approach, Philo presents a series of arguments that question any attempt to use reason as a basis for religious faith. He suggests that human beings might be better off without religion. The dialogue ends without agreement among the characters, justifying Hume’s choice of dialogue as the literary style for this topic.
Author - David Hume.
Narrator - Albert A. Anderson.
Published Date - Thursday, 19 January 2023.
Location:
United States
Description:
David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion had not yet been published when he died in 1776. Even though the manuscript was mostly written during the 1750s, it did not appear until 1779. The subject itself was too delicate and controversial, and Hume’s dialectical examination of religious knowledge was especially provocative. What should we teach young people about religion? The characters Demea, Cleanthes, and Philo passionately present and defend three sharply different answers to that question. Demea opens the dialogue with a position derived from René Descartes and Father Malebranche—God’s nature is a mystery, but God’s existence can be proved logically. Cleanthes attacks that view, both because it leads to mysticism and because it attempts the impossible task of trying to establish existence on the basis pure reason, without appeal to sense experience. As an alternative, he offers a proof of both God’s existence and God’s nature based on the same kind of scientific reasoning established by Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton. Taking a skeptical approach, Philo presents a series of arguments that question any attempt to use reason as a basis for religious faith. He suggests that human beings might be better off without religion. The dialogue ends without agreement among the characters, justifying Hume’s choice of dialogue as the literary style for this topic. Author - David Hume. Narrator - Albert A. Anderson. Published Date - Thursday, 19 January 2023.
Language:
English
Chapter 1
Duration:00:03:00
Chapter 2
Duration:00:02:59
Chapter 3
Duration:00:03:05
Chapter 4
Duration:00:03:01
Chapter 5
Duration:00:02:38
Chapter 6
Duration:00:02:59
Chapter 7
Duration:00:04:02
Chapter 8
Duration:00:02:54
Chapter 9
Duration:00:02:56
Chapter 10
Duration:00:02:39
Chapter 11
Duration:00:03:00
Chapter 12
Duration:00:04:01
Chapter 13
Duration:00:02:25
Chapter 14
Duration:00:02:50
Chapter 15
Duration:00:03:12
Chapter 16
Duration:00:02:35
Chapter 17
Duration:00:02:26
Chapter 18
Duration:00:03:02
Chapter 19
Duration:00:02:56
Chapter 20
Duration:00:02:50
Chapter 21
Duration:00:03:18
Chapter 22
Duration:00:01:42
Chapter 23
Duration:00:02:56
Chapter 24
Duration:00:03:09
Chapter 25
Duration:00:03:08
Chapter 26
Duration:00:02:59
Chapter 27
Duration:00:03:39
Chapter 28
Duration:00:02:52
Chapter 29
Duration:00:02:59
Chapter 30
Duration:00:03:25
Chapter 31
Duration:00:02:54
Chapter 32
Duration:00:03:08
Chapter 33
Duration:00:01:08
Chapter 34
Duration:00:02:59
Chapter 35
Duration:00:03:20
Chapter 36
Duration:00:03:15
Chapter 37
Duration:00:02:03
Chapter 38
Duration:00:03:03
Chapter 39
Duration:00:02:46
Chapter 40
Duration:00:02:37
Chapter 41
Duration:00:02:04
Chapter 42
Duration:00:03:19
Chapter 43
Duration:00:00:34
Chapter 44
Duration:00:02:37
Chapter 45
Duration:00:02:43
Chapter 46
Duration:00:02:53
Chapter 47
Duration:00:03:27
Chapter 48
Duration:00:02:16
Chapter 49
Duration:00:03:10
Chapter 50
Duration:00:03:40
Chapter 51
Duration:00:03:53
Chapter 52
Duration:00:02:52
Chapter 53
Duration:00:04:04
Chapter 54
Duration:00:03:54
Chapter 55
Duration:00:04:08
Chapter 56
Duration:00:03:18
Chapter 57
Duration:00:03:50
Chapter 58
Duration:00:03:07
Chapter 59
Duration:00:03:10
Chapter 60
Duration:00:02:41
Chapter 61
Duration:00:01:48
Chapter 62
Duration:00:03:26
Chapter 63
Duration:00:02:38
Chapter 64
Duration:00:03:44
Chapter 65
Duration:00:02:59
Chapter 66
Duration:00:03:40
Chapter 67
Duration:00:03:28
Chapter 68
Duration:00:02:48
Chapter 69
Duration:00:03:12
Chapter 70
Duration:00:02:39
Chapter 71
Duration:00:02:10
Chapter 72
Duration:00:02:52
Chapter 73
Duration:00:03:03
Chapter 74
Duration:00:03:08
Chapter 75
Duration:00:02:34
Chapter 76
Duration:00:03:10
Chapter 77
Duration:00:03:12
Chapter 78
Duration:00:04:10
Chapter 79
Duration:00:03:09
Chapter 80
Duration:00:02:57
Chapter 81
Duration:00:02:55
Chapter 82
Duration:00:03:10
Chapter 83
Duration:00:02:53
Chapter 84
Duration:00:02:42
Chapter 85
Duration:00:02:28
Chapter 86
Duration:00:01:53
Chapter 87
Duration:00:01:36