Product Description
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 literary style for this topic. As Pamphilus, Cleanthes pupil, says in the prologue: Any philosophical question that is so obscure and uncertain that human reason can reach no agreement about it, if it is treated at all, seems to lead us naturally to the style of dialogue and conversation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Adequate Presentation of DCNR
You're looking for a way to convert your dead time in the car or on the treadmill into serious reading time.You looked up something like "philosophy audio" at Amazon and mostly got Deepak Choptra and a bunch of pious pablum.Very few serious works of philosophy are available on audio.This is one of the few, the material is well suited to the audio format, the production values are good, and all in all it's an adequate presentation of Hume's work.Go ahead and buy it.

However, this release is marred by godawful music in the transitions and whiny-voiced actors doing the dialog.The narrator (as opposed to the characters in the dialog) has a really unappealing voice.Who did the casting?


... Read more

Book Description
David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature is famous for its extreme skepticism. Louis Loeb argues that Hume's destructive conclusions have in fact obscured a constructive stage that Hume abandons prematurely.

Working within a philosophical tradition that values tranquillity, Hume favors an epistemology that links justification with settled belief. Hume appeals to psychological stability to support his own epistemological assessments, both favorable regarding causal inference, and unfavorable regarding
imaginative propensities. The theory's success in explaining Hume's epistemic distinctions gives way to pessimism, since Hume contends that reflection on beliefs is deeply destabilizing. So much the worse, Hume concludes, for placing a premium on reflection. Hume endorses and defends the position
that stable beliefs of unreflective persons are justified, though they would not survive reflection. At the same time, Hume relishes the paradox that unreflective beliefs enjoy a preferred epistemic status and strains to establish it.Loeb introduces a series of amendments to the Treatise that
secures a more positive result for justified belief while maintaining Hume's fundamental principles.

In his review of Hume's applications of his epistemology, Loeb uncovers a stratum of psychological doctrine beyond associationism, a theory of conditions in which beliefs are felt to conflict and of the resolution of this uneasiness or dissonance. This theory of mental conflict is also essential to
Hume's strategy for integrating empiricism about meaning with his naturalism. However, Hume fails to provide a general account of the conditions in which conflicting beliefs lead to persisting instability, so his theory is incomplete.

Loeb explores Hume's concern with stability in reference to his discussions of belief, education, the probability of causes, unphilosophical probability, the belief in body, sympathy and moral judgment, and the passions, among other topics. ... Read more

Book Description
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is an important 18th century work by Scottish empiricist and philosopher David Hume. As a follow up and attempt to simplify his earlier effort in A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume works to introduce his philosophical concepts to a more well-educated European readership. In this work Hume discusses the limited powers of human understanding, the role of free will in consideration with determinism and the weak foundation of religion. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is highly recommened for those who are interested in major philosophical writings and those who are interested in the writings of David Hume. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An outstanding book.
Anyone thinking of becoming a free lance Photographer should read this book.The problems that Mr. Kennerly has to overcome as a Photographer can be very edicational to the novice and the experiences he describes willhold the reader to the last page.There is also a generous amount ofphotographs to support the written word. ... Read more

Book Description

"I assume the presidency under extraordinary circumstances."

—President Gerald R. Ford, August 9, 1974

Gerald R. Ford stepped into the American presidency during a constitutional crisis that many believed was the country's worst since the Civil War.

Extraordinary Circumstances is a stunning collection of behind-closed-doors images by President Ford's personal photographer, David Hume Kennerly. Seen here are intimate scenes of the inner workings of the White House; Ford's family and much-beloved wife Betty; and many of the twentieth-century's most compelling and elusive figures, including Queen Elizabeth II, Leonid Brezhnev, Emperor Hirohito, Deng Xioping, Anwar Sadat, Yitzhak Rabin, Richard Nixon, Andy Warhol, and George Harrison.

The book follows Gerald Ford from the day President Nixon appointed him as vice president through the tumultuous early crises of his presidency, including his controversial pardon of Nixon, the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, and his wife Betty's breast cancer, to the end of his presidency after losing to Jimmy Carter.

Adding depth and perspective to the photos are excerpts from exclusive interviews with President Ford, President Jimmy Carter, President George H. W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Cheney, Alan Greenspan, and other prominent members of the Ford administration.

Extraordinary Circumstances is sponsored and published by the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin, the home of the David Hume Kennerly Photographic Archive. It features an introduction by NBC's Tom Brokaw and an overview of Ford's life by famed historian Richard Norton Smith.

Customer Reviews (3)

One of the best
If you have ever wondered what really goes on at the White House, this is the book to buy. David Kennerly had more access to the inner workings of the White House than any other photographer, before or since. These photos certainly prove it. For any student of history, or photography, this is one book to have on your shelf. As a working photojournalist for 35 years, I have had the pleasure of working beside Kennerly and can say that besides being a great photographer, he is one of the gentlemen of the business, an old-school hero to many an up and coming photographer. Don't miss out on this book.

This book should get a Pulizer!!
David Hume-Kennerly is one of the most gifted photojournalists of our generation. He was chosen by Gerald Ford to be the "eyes of the nation on the presidency" after the insanity of paranoia that was Nixon's Whitehouse. This resulted in David becoming a "member" of the Ford family and thus having total access to the reality of The Pardon, The End of The War, and everything else that happened in those short Ford years. (As a fellow Shooter, his was the only job that I was INSANELY jealous of because he was the permanent `fly on the wall'!)

This book shares with us those times and shows us how lucky this country was to have had this strong and honest man at the top when we needed those qualities the most.

I truly hope that DHK is awarded another Pulitzer for this work.

Marshall Darling on The Cape

Unprecedented Access + A Brilliant Eye = Extraordinary History Lesson
Aside from the stunning photography which I'll get to, this important book gave me new insights into a mostly overlooked Presidency. Kennerly documented the Ford Presidency and shows us the actual moments that some of the most significant decisions in American history were made- the Nixon pardon and leaving Vietnam to name two- thus revealing Ford as a true leader and rare politician willing to act on his beliefs regardless of consequences. (I say this as a lifelong Democrat!) As you go through the book, the range of images and perfect moments add up to a master class of great photojournalism, timeless, classic and relevant. The access he gained to intimate family moments, such as Betty Ford recovering from breast surgery, is astounding and says much about Kennerly's sensitivity and the trust he gained. It feels very emotional, intimate and world's away from our current super-posed, photo-op political culture. What is truly amazing is how easy he makes the photography look. Almost every image here is archetypal, profoundly primal, and about the subjects, not the photographer. The beauty of his work is the Zen of it; the essence of the story and person is revealed in the most graceful way. "Extraordinary Circumstances" fills an important gap in American history from a rare talent given a ringside seat, an incredible achievement. ... Read more

Book Description
Hume is one of the greatest of all British philosophers, and even in his own lifetime was celebrated as one of the pivotal figures of the Enlightenment. A central theme of his philosophy is the conviction that questions traditionally thought of as completely independent of the scientific realmDSquestions about the mind, about morality, and about God, for exampleDSare actually best explained using the experimental methods characteristic of the natural sciences.Hume's 'naturalist' approach to a wide variety of philosophical topics resulted in highly original theories about perception, self-identity, causation, morality, politics, and religion, all of which are discussed in this stimulating introduction by A J Ayer, himself one of the twentieth century's most important philosophers.Ayer also gives an account of Hume's fascinating life and character, and includes generous quotations from Hume's lucid and often witty writings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Good Read
While appreciating the previous reviewers' criticisms which are not without some merit-- I feel that I must rise to Ayer's defense in saying that this book, though small, pushes one to "think" about Hume's philosophy while trying to get a handle on it. Isn't that what introductions are to be about? Ayers introduces a particular aspect of Hume's thought, agrees or disagrees then moves on.Their criticism's, however, do have some merit.Ayer reads Hume through his own lenses, who doesn't, and is not above bringing Hume to task when he feels that it is warranted.However, Ayer also respects Hume the philosopher, and presents Hume in this small book in a courteous light.This was one of the first books I read on Hume's thought and I found it to be quite helpful. It was a good jumping off point into weightier works-- it's not simplistic, nor is it a Cliff-Notes version, but a presentation of Hume's work, which in itself requires some careful thought, simply because Hume himself is carrying on a conversation with other phiosophers (some long since dead) but it is also a thoughtful conversation with Hume, about the issues Hume raised, by an emiment philosopher in his own right.I'm not sure that it doesn't belong in the series, having read several of the others.Ayer makes his point and then moves on without spending too many pages waxing eloquent. For someone wanting to learn about Hume's philosophy, but not wanting to read a long list of books, this is a good introduction to the main themes that Hume is noted for bringing to light and discussing.My practice in reading this book was to read a few pages, put it down and then read a few more.I found this a helpful way to let what Ayer said digest. Perhaps it should have been an easier read, but then the themes Hume touches upon are not easy subjects to begin with. In sum, I found it a worthwhile book.

A stain on this series good reputation
As an introduction for the general reader this is pretty useless. Its actually an older work not intended for the very short introduction series. Its a brief but fairly in depth study of Hume's work with an initial chapter on his life tagged on at the start. It requires at least a basic familiarity with Hume and the reader would almost certainly benefit from having read the Enquiries or even an alternative introduction before engaging with this. Presenting Ayers' book in this way is disingenuous and does both him and the reader a disservice.

Not recommended for the general public.
I have read 13 Very Short Introduction titles up till now and have never written a review for this series. The reason I am writing a review now is to advice you not to buy this book. I have been reading philosophy for years, have read other books about Hume, and this is supposedly an introduction, and I understood only half of what is written (though the first and last chapters are fairly comprehensible). Of course I haven't spent much time trying to decipher what Ayer says here, because I'm used to reading a book like this in 2 or 3 days. I've also read the Very Short Introductions to Kant and Hegel, also from this series (Kant and Hegel are considered "difficult" philosophers, meaning that it's hard to understand what they're saying if you're not a professional philosopher yourself), and even then I have understood the Introductions perfectly.
They should assign to someone else the task of writing an introduction about Hume, and not try to cash in on the name of the writer (Ayer is a famous philosopher in his own right).
Though if one is fairly familiar with the works of Hume and with general philosophical jargon this book can be a profitable experience. I am not judging its content but the way it is written, always considering that it is meant to be read by the general public.

too substantial to shoe-horn into this 'Very Short' series
Despite Ayer's lapidary style, this is a heavyweight critique of Hume's philosophy, not the bite-sized summary one would expect from the way the original 1980 book has been repackaged.

Hume emerges as more pragmatic, more likable, than his reputation as the ineluctable arch-sceptic.Ayer doesn't hesitate to suggest improvements to Hume's arguments, or to flatly contradict him, especially on his theory of perception.On the other hand, Ayer tamely accepts the impossibility of induction, which would surely be unacceptable to most modern scientists (at least, those inclined to think about it at all).

Overall, the book is more analytical, and less heuristic, than is helpful for this series. ... Read more

Product Description
6 volume LEATHER BOUND set accented in 22kt gold! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Horrible price
This price is absurd.The publisher (Easton Press) sells this same set new for $390. ... Read more

Book Description
This vital study offers a new interpretation of Hume's famous "Of Miracles," which notoriously argues against the possibility of miracles. By situating Hume's popular argument in the context of the eighteenth-century debate on miracles, Earman shows Hume's argument to be largely unoriginal and chiefly without merit where it is original. Yet Earman constructively conceives how progress can be made on the issues that Hume's essay so provocatively posed about the ability of eyewitness testimony to establish the credibility of marvelous and miraculous events. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Outstanding Piece of Scholarship
In Hume's Abject Failure - The Argument against Miracles, John Earman offers a cogent and comprehensive refutation of Hume's argument against miracles originally published as "On Miracles" in An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding.

Hume's contention is that given the "unique" nature of miracles no human testimony can suffice to render them credible - i.e. day-to-day experience necessarily trumps claims of the miraculous or novel. This argument has provoked interesting and occasionally heated discussion throughout the years.While containing some apparent truisms - such as the need for good reasons in an evidentiary construct and the gullibility of people- Hume's claims are generally viewed as being overstated.In criticising Hume, Earman is not arguing for the truth of any alleged miracles, rather he is contending that Hume's attempt to dismiss miracles a priori is unwarranted.It is interesting to consider the implications of Hume's assertion if it were true - much modern scientific theory such as quantum mechanics or Darwinism would be decimated.Some commentators have tried to minimize this logical extension by arguing that science deals with a different subject matter and as a consequence is immune from this criticism- this seems contrived and unconvincing.

Though not original in his assessment of Hume's failure, Earman's exposition of the issue is the most comprehensive and well articulated that I have encountered.He highlights two important factors that likely contributed to Hume's failure, an inadequate understanding of inductive argumentation and wishful thinking. With regard to former, Earman highlights many of Hume's shortcomings and in the process does a nice job in explaining Bayesian probability.

While, in regard to wishful thinking, seeing what we believe is not unique to Hume. It seems evident that reason can be skewed by belief and emotion.Arguments concerning ethics or faith issues are particularly notorious in this regard.As Earman notes, faith positions (e.g. naturalism or atheism) often seems to play a role in defences of Hume's argument against miracles.It is interesting that at the outset Earman feels compelled to state his lack of theistic belief - in an apparent effort to diffuse similar criticism.

This small book (approx. 200 pages) is divided into two parts.In the first part, Earman lays out his case, while the second part is comprised of various historic writings that pertain to the issue.These extracts include "On Miracles" and various other historic criticisms of Hume's. I find this structure very helpful - not having to go back and forth to primary sources.Aside from the lucidness of Earman's argument I was especially impressed by the quality of thought exhibited by some of Hume's early critics whom I had not previously encountered, Price is especially impressive.

Overall, this is an outstanding book.I highly recommend it to students of philosophical history and the philosophy of religion.

Hume humiliated.
C. S. Lewis exposed the circular reasoning in Hume in the book by Lewis entitled "Miracles."David Hume is often portrayed as askeptic.On the contrary, he was a freemason and therefore a gnostic.He was skeptical of nongnostic positions, such as Christianity.He was an apologist for gnosticism.When looked at in that light, Christians are skeptics with respect to freemasonry.The title "skeptic" is a propaganda term much coveted by freemasons and juwes in order to assume the position of intellectual superiority.

Mr. Earman, who is nonChristian, has done a great job here in reviving criticism of Hume.Hume is worse than any god worshipped by any heathen since he demands uncompromising devotion to his position whether or not he is right or wrong.

Hume's chief argument against miracles is circular reasoning.Hume argues that miracles violate uniform experience.However, if uniform experience is against miracles, then they cannot happen."Uniform experience" is his presupposition.And he defines "uniform experience" to exclude miracles.In other words, he begs the question.If miracles didn't happen, well, they didn't happen.This is Hume's argument in its circular entirety.This criticism came from Lewis.Although, I have a better argument than Lewis's and Mr. Earman's.

I would simply point out that pure logic cannot dispense with the empirical question of whether miracles happen.Afterall, mathematics is made up of tautologies.As such, pure logic or pure mathematics cannot have physical meaning.Pure logic, as Hume employs, cannot tell us anything about the world.Therein lies the sophistry.It boils down to the distinction between analytic and synthetic statements.Whether or not miracles happen depend not on logic, but on the existence of God who intervenes in human affairs and human life.As the former atheist Antony Flew said, it is impossible to argue against the existence of God in light of the evidence of the obvious intelligent design of the universe.

As soon as Hume "defined" a term "uniform experience," and inserted it in his argument, he entered the world of pure logic.In that world, no matter how far you search and how much you struggle and no matter how much you indulge in rationcination, you will end up where you started: with nothing.Beware of someone who makes definitions in the process of their argument with you.

If anyone went to the moon and found a green house that supplied oxygen, food and other human necessities, they wouldn't hesitate to posit an intelligent creator of that house.So why would anyone question theexistence of God in light of this wonderful planet that supports our lives?

Atheism and pantheism are really the same thing.One denies God and the latter calls everything God."Miracles" only make sense in a universe with a monotheistic God, not in a universe where nature is postulated as a god.

Earman makes reference to modern physics, which is unnecessary.Newton's physics didn't give any credibility to Hume's arguments since his arguments were pure sophistry.Anyway, Newton already embarked on relativity theory in the querys to his Optics.Query number one and number thirty already impinged on general and special relativity respectively.(Einstein, who plagarized Josiah Willard Gibb's book "statistical mechanics" in the Einstein papers on brownian movement also plagarized special relativity theory.Poincare, Fitzgerald, Larmar and Lorentz already conceived of special relativity.And the equations for general relativity divided by zero.David Hilbert noted that Einstein's equations were wrong, and Friedmann, the Russian pointed out that Einstein divided by zero three times.)

Intelligent design is all you need to establish a creator.A creator is all you need to ground miracles.Earman's book should be read.It's a welcome treatise in an age of brainwashed academics.The relation of academics to their students is well summed up in the parable of Jesus: "When one blind man leads another blind man, sooner or later they will both fall into a pit."

Unlike all other religions, Christianity offers the empirically grounded fact of Jesus's resurrection from the dead.Accept Him as your savior or be subject to Him as your judge.

Excellent Application of Probability Theory
John Earman has written a wonderful book that shows the value of using the precision of probability theory to bring clarity to a murky issue.Long have certain philosophers marvelled at David Hume's essay, "On Miracles," supposing it to be an original and creative refutation of believing in miracles.Earman shows that Hume's arguments are neither original nor sound at establishing his pessimistic outlook on miracles.Moreover, using probability calculus, Earman is able to establish clearly that Hume's argument is a failure.In fact, Earman shows that many of Hume's contemporaries were familiar with probabilistic reasoning and were able to demonstrate Hume was wrong within in his own lifetime.So, not only was Hume wrong, but his failure cannot be attributed to the lack of development of inductive reasoning in his time.Earman works hard trying to understand what exactly Hume meant by examining Hume's personal letters and the developments of Hume's essay as it was published in various editions.After several attempts to read Hume charitably, Earman finds Hume's application of probabilistic reasoning is muddled and confused, at best.Furthermore, Earman shows that if Hume was right, this would spell disaster for inductive reasoning that confirms (or disconfirms) scientific reasoning.Those who endorse Hume's argument against miracles are supporting a line of reasoning that would eqully undermine science.

Earman's book is commendable for a number of reasons.First, it is a first-rate work in philosophy that is written clearly.Earman's rigor coupled with his readable prose make for a rewarding study.Second, this book makes significant contribution to Humean scholarship where Earman convincingly argues for various ways to interpret Hume, which he substantiates with cross-referencing the work of Hume and his interaction with his contemporaries.Third, the book is a powerful lesson in probability theory (especially Bayesianism).Some background in probabilistic reasoning may be needed to understand parts of the book, but even a cursory knowledge of probability theory will be nourished by Earman's work.Fourth, this book puts forward some substantial theories relevant to philosophy of religion, especially the nature of miracles.Fifth, the second half of the book is filled with important sources on the 18th century deist controversy, which are invaluable to studying probability and confirmation of miraculous events by eyewitness testimony.For those who find these issues to be important and wish to get a better handle on how to think clearly through these issues, this book will be a welcome piece of scholarship.

Toward a robust critique of miracle myths
This is a fascinating and useful new approach to the question of Hume on miracles, including many of the original essays relevant to the debate, plus an extended argument using Baysian probability logic. The result was quite eye-opening, and, although the classic arguments of Hume have an Enlightenment aura, there is a need for a more robust approach to the skeptic stance toward miracles. I doubt if theologians will get any ammunition from this argument. In the period of the New Age movement when a book like Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous is used by sufi sharks to lure people into cultic dependencies we need more than Hume's classic but limited consideration. Perhaps a warning about Mephistopheles and Faust might help.
There is something historically apt in the treatment here, since the use of Baysianism is also its history, in simultaneity historically with the life and times of Hume.
Great little book. I found this looking for the author's other book, Bayes or Bust, which I didn't obtain, but which looks interesting as a resource for this one.

A Very Badly Needed Book
Introductory philosophy courses in college or university invariably include Hume's argument against miracles in the philosophy of religion unit to convince students that one cannot use evidence of miracles (such as the resurrection of Christ) to argue for metaphysical truths.Of course, Hume's argument SHOULD be included in the course--but in the LOGIC section as an archetypal piece of bad reasoning.Finally, a professional philosopher--who is by no means a Christian believer--has done a thoroughgoing scholarly critique of Hume's argument, showing beyond all question that the argument is perfectly circular:Hume, with a pre-Einsteinian, 18th century mindset, assumes that "uniform experience" exists against miracles and concludes--surprise, surprise--that no evidence can ever be effectively marshalled to prove that amiracle has really occurred.This book should be read by every naive philosophical rationalist.It will open epistemological doors to a new appreciation of the potential of miracle arguments as a prime support to claims for a genuine, historical incarnation. ... Read more

Book Description
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is an important 18th century work by Scottish empiricist and philosopher David Hume. As a follow up and attempt to simplify his earlier effort in A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume works to introduce his philosophical concepts to a more well-educated European readership. In this work Hume discusses the limited powers of human understanding, the role of free will in consideration with determinism and the weak foundation of religion. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is highly recommened for those who are interested in major philosophical writings and those who are interested in the writings of David Hume. ... Read more

Book Description
As part of the tried and true model of informal essay writing, Hume began publishing his Essays: Moral, Political and Literary in 1741.The majority of these finely honed treatises fall into three distinct areas: political theory, economic theory and aesthetic theory.Interestingly, Hume's was motivated to produce a collection of informal essays given the poor public reception of his more formally written Treatise of Human Nature in 1739.He hoped that his work would be interesting not only to the educated man, but to the common man as well.He passionately argues that essays provide a forum for discussing his philosophy of "common life."DAVID HUME (1711-1776) was a Scottish philosopher and historian. Educated at Edinburgh, he lived in France from 1734 to 1737, where he finished his first philosophical work, A Treatise of Human Nature (1739-40). His additional philosophical works include An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748), Political Discourses (1752), The Natural History of Religion (1755), and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Nice Collection. Wish I could read it!
Upon recieving this in the mail, I was so disappointed to see that the entire book is printed in 8 point font. My eyes just can't handle this. It's like reading a 600+ page footnote. The text literally comprises only half the total page area. It's a wonderful collection, but I'm afraid I'll be returning it.

The Superior Edition
The Liberty/Classics comprehensive volume is superior to the Oxford edition in every way. The former is a complete compilation, whereas the Oxford edition contain only "selected" essays.

These essays are more in the tradition of Montaigne, Marcus Arelius, and Emerson, to cite some exemplars of the tradition, meaning that these essays are not as logically rigorous as Hume's "Treatise on Human Nature," "Essays Concerning Human Understanding," "Principles of Morals," and "Natural Religion," but are more an astute and empirical observation of what causes pleasure and satisfaction versus what causes discomfort and uneasiness. This emprical motif permeates all the essays.

The "moral" essays are a continuation of Vol. III of his "Treatise on Human Nature," and "Principles of Morals," and contribute to how our "tastes" and "utility," rather than apriori logic, delimit and describe moral ideas and ideals. His "political" essays are the most prominent among the group and are often prescient of subsequent developments, clearly anticipating a more democratic society, but they often come across as antediluvian, despite Hume's analytical dexterity and his compassionate motivation. The "literary" essays are the least in number and the most impotent of his contributions. Not that they lack value or interest, they simply lack novelty or new understanding. All his essays have an empirical bent, which should not surprise anyone familiar with Hume's other works.

Many of these 48 essays have perennial value, while others are clearly cotemporaneous with his time and place (mid-18th century England). In either case, they contribute to our understanding of the period, while making perspicacious observations about subjects that are both endearing and enduring. The LibertyClassics' edition uses current locution and spellings in Caslon 540 typeface on durable, acid-free paper, making Hume's lucid and elegant prose an even more attractive presentation. Highly recommended.

A valuable addition to Hume's "Treatise" and his "Enquiries"
The book offers an intersting collection of Hume's minor writing. A must for anyone interested in Hume's philosphy. Nicely printed on acid-free paper the book is good value for money. ... Read more

Book Description
*Download Description
It Seems Strange To Me, Said Cleanthes, That You, Demea, Who Are So Sincere In The Cause Of Religion, Should Still Maintain The Mysterious, Incomprehensible Nature Of The Deity, And Should Insist So Strenuously That He Has No Manner Of Likeness Or Resemblance To Human Creatures. The Deity, I Can Readily Allow, Possesses Many Powers And Attributes Of Which We Can Have No Comprehension: ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Does God exist?
David Hume, a philosopher of the period often classified as British Empiricism, is the intellectual associate of philosophers John Locke and George Berkeley. Born in Edinburgh in 1711, he attended the University of Edinburgh but did not graduate. He went to France during his 20s, and spent time there working on what would become his most famous work, 'An Enquiry into Human Understanding', first published under the title 'Treatise of Human Nature'. However, Hume was a prolific writer, and dealt with many areas of philosophy, including politics and ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics. He wrote in the area of history as well, and had a politic career as British ambassador to France and a post as a minister in the government for a few years. His final work, 'Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion', was published posthumously in 1779, although work had begun on it as early as the 1750s.

Hume was very concerned about rationality. Hume was never publicly and explicitly an atheist, but his rational mind, concerned about sensory and intelligible evidence, led him to question and doubt most major systems of religion, including the more general philosophical sense of religion and proofs of the existence of God. The primary arguments in his 'Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion' deal with the Argument from Design, and the Cosmological Argument. There is an assumed distinction here between natural religion and revealed religion, an especially important distinction in the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment philosophical structure.

- Natural Religion and Revealed Religion -
Natural religion is the idea that we come to know and understand God (and, consequently, what God wants or expects of us, if anything) simply from nature and our sensory perceptions, as well as our interpretations (emotion and rational) of this kind of understanding. From very early in his writing career, Hume attacked the idea of natural religion and most of its conclusions, drawing a sharp line between what we can actually know and what ends up being fanciful extrapolations based on other-than-rational ideas and evidence. Revealed religion is primary what most religions base themselves upon - the burning bush to Moses, the resurrection and post-resurrection appearances to the Apostles, the Buddha's enlightenment under the tree - these are examples of revelation. While Hume does take on the idea of revealed religion in his other works, this particular text does not concern itself with that topic, and stays in the domain of addressing natural religion.

- The Argument from Design -
Arguments from Design have always had a strong appeal to believers within religious frameworks; they have often been used as tools of evangelism, as attempts to show that beyond the revealed doctrines, the very nature of things points to a creator. In very short order, the Argument from Design in Hume's newly-industrial time might have read like this:

- Machines are designed by beings with intelligence.
- The world and the universe it is in resembles a machine.
- Therefore, the world must have been created by means of intelligent design.

This is an argument by analogy, and is convincing to some, but often more convincing to those already inclined to believe in the existence of God.

- The Cosmological Argument -
The Cosmological Argument is at once both more subtle and more simple. The most simple way of stating it would be that God is the 'first cause' of everything. If everything has to have a cause (even the whole universe), then that first cause must be God. In the twentieth century era of thinking of a universe that began with a Big Bang, it seemed to some that the Cosmological Argument was confirmed.

Hume would have been familiar with Leibniz's more subtle form of the Cosmological Argument, which argues for a world of infinite contingent causes. However, there has to be something outside of this system of infinite causes that produced the series - thus, even in a universe with no set beginning or ending, there would still need to be an overarching cause.

- Hume's Arguments -
Hume argues on many levels. His first criticism of the Argument from Design is that this analogy (as are most arguments from analogy) is faulty and not exact; we have no idea if the universe is like a machine. Even if it was, machines are often designed and built by several designers - why argue for one God rather than several? How do we know that matter and the universe don't have their own, internal self-organising principles?

With regard to the Cosmological Argument, the argument is a little more strained. Hume argues that, in any series of causality, once one knows about each cause, it makes no sense to inquire beyond the sequence of causes to some other effect. This is a very Empirical argument, to be sure, and while perhaps not entirely satisfying, it still has merit in philosophy to this day.

- Hume's Structure -
This is a dialogue, set up in the classical way of people talking with each other about the subjects. Hume draws primarily from Cicero, whose work 'On the Nature of the Gods' uses characters of the same names. However, whereas Cicero was concerned about the nature of the Gods (their attributes, powers, etc.) and not their existence, it is the very existence of God that occupies Hume's thoughts.

Hume, despite many years of work on this text, probably never quite thought it was finished. He left the work to Adam Smith (the noted economist, and friend of Hume in Edinburgh), who also thought the arguments against the existence of God were too strong, and likely too damaging to Hume's overall reputation. The tug-of-war over the publication makes for interesting reading in and of itself.

These are important arguments, worthy of discussion and dialogue in philosophy classes, theology classes, and among others who ponder the existence of God.

Is God Knowable By Reason?

David Hume made a reputation by writing on reason and its limits. The main thrust of the Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion isto question whether theological arguments for God that assign Him positive attributes (omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent, etc.) go beyond reason's limits in assigning these attributes. We watch Cleanthes (believer in theological arguments), Demea (believer more on faith) and Philo (disbeliever in theology's efficacy) hash out whether reason and experience alone give us reason to say anything whatever about God.

Hume explores all of the major arguments for God's existence. First, the a posteriori argument is explored; the argument that just as seeing a house gives us reason to assume an architect and builder, seeing the world should give us reason to infer a designer. Hume (through the skeptical voice of Philo) sees much wrong with this argument. Why? Because the reason we infer a builder for a house is because experience has shown us that houses have builders, thus when we see a house, we assume that, like other houses we've seen, this one too has a builder. But experience does not tell us that where there is a world, there is a designer. The leap is extra-experiential. Further, even if we DID infer a designer, why infer just one? Houses have construction crews of multiple people; if we analogize between the house and the world, then why not infer that the world, too, might have infinite creators? (And why infer that the world's creator is omnipotent, if all that is needed to create something is to be more powerful than the thing created - no more, no less?)

Next, we go through the a priori argument - the argument from first cause. Hume (Philo) is quick to point out the obvious flaw with this. If everything needs a cause, then what caused God? If God is said to be eternally existing, then why couldn't the natural world - rather than God - be thought eternal instead? And further, why is a infinite chain of causes and effects so unimaginable, anyhow? (Isn't it just as sensical as an eternalGod itself not caused?)

Lastly, Philo brings up the argument from evil. In a nutshell, Philo suggests that while theology sees all the perfections of the world, proclaiming them clear evidence of remarkable design, theologians dismiss or downplay the imperfections. If God is said to all-good Himself, then why did he create humans with such flaws? (one assumes that an all-powerful, all-good God could have avoided those errors).

Still, the main thrust of this book is that Philo, far from challenging whether God exists, challenges theologies capacity to assign ANY characteristics to God by reason and experience alone. Hume does a good job not only in outlaying arguments as to why reason is not capable of knowing a thing about God, but also in making believable dialogues (compared to Plato, whose characters are all made to be one-dimensional foils for "Socrates.") As in so many other areas, Hume was a pioneer in the realm of the philosophy of God. This book furnishes strong proof of that!

A Paradigm of Philosophy
With the possible exception of his incalculably influential A Treatise of Human Nature, this, I think, is Hume's finest work.The Dialogues is a paradigm of sustained philosophical argumentation on a single subject, and I can't think of a more inspiring work of philosophy.Another reason to read this book is that Hume is one of the few philosophical figures whose work is worth reading as literature.His prose is, of course, lovely and clear as can be; and the Dialogues is packed with the sort of evocative passages that readers of Hume except to find in his work.Furthermore, he's clearly mastered the dialogue format as a way of writing philosophy.He never turns his interlocutors into ciphers spouting the details of their respective positions.Each character has a forceful and distinct personality, and each of them comes to the debate with a well-defined position and adequate means of defending it.In short, I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Most of the Dialogues is devoted to discussion of a posteriori arguments for the existence of God.The main argument considered here is the classical argument from design, which Hume seems to understand as an analogical argument of the following sort:the complexity and order of the universe show that it is similar to artifacts created by human intelligences; similar causes have similar effects; therefore, the universe must have been created by a being with something like a human intelligence; therefore, the universe must have been created by God.

Hume's objections to this argument are legion, and many of the individual objections are both ingenious and forceful.He provides reasons for thinking that the universe isn't all that similar to artifacts created by human beings.He argues, for instance, that at least in some respects, the universe resembles animal or vegetable life more than it resembles artifacts created by human beings.Hume also provides for thinking that, even if we think the universe is similar to a human artifact, we ought to think the universe was created by a being quite unlike God.The relevant empirical evidence, he argues, provides us with no good reason to think that the universe wasn't created by multiple beings (large human artifacts are usually created by multiple beings), or that the being(s) who created it are still alive (human creators die), or that the being(s) who created it were infinite (it's not clear that creating the finite universe would have required infinite power), or that the being(s) who created it were morally perfect (the universe, with all its misery and despair, certainly isn't what one would expect from a perfect being).Furthermore, he proposes certain alternative naturalistic explanations of the existence and nature of the universe; and he claims that it's unclear why an appeal to divine creation is to be preferred to these speculative naturalistic stories of the universe's creation.

As I hope this all-too-brief synopsis suggests, Hume's cumulative case against the argument from design is quite impressive.It is, of course, possible to avoid some of these criticisms in various ways, and his speculative naturalistic explanations leave quite a bit to be desired.But the total case is a philosophical demolition par excellence.Indeed, I'm pretty sure that Hume has shown that the argument from design is more or less worthless as support for anything resembling traditional theism.So, if you're enamored of that argument, I suggest you pick up book and wrestle with the criticisms found here.

Now, this isn't all Hume discusses in the Dialogues.There's a section discussing a priori arguments for the existence of God; it focuses on arguments against a version of the cosmological (i.e. first cause) argument.And Hume's arguments concerning the cosmological argument also rule out any sort of ontological argument, as he claims that no sense can be made of the idea of a necessarily existing being.The book also includes a few some brief discussion of particular issues concerning religion.

Where, in the end, does Hume come down on the issue of theism? It's hard to tell, as it's not clear that any of the particular characters speaks for him.Philo, the character who often appears to be speaking for him, never denies the existence of a deity; he simply denies the ability of human reason to discover anything substantial about what such a being is like.That Hume agrees with this is, I think, the most we can glean from this text about Hume's own religious views.It seems clear that he has no sympathy for organized religion, or for any religious views that purport to describe the nature of God, His intentions, or how and why He created the universe as He did.And the only positive religious claim that is given respectful treatment here is the bare claim that we have reason to think that the cause of the universe as a whole is somewhat similar to a human intelligence.

But does acceptance of this minimal thesis amount to his being a theist?Again, it's very hard to tell.First, of course, one might wonder whether this fairly vague positive view is enough to amount to some form of theism.But let's put that issue to one side.Even if it is enough to support some form of theism, it's often difficult to tell whether Hume means to be advocating such a position here.The problem is that it often seems Hume's explicit advocation of this position amounts to little more than a description of what he thinks is an inevitable human tendency to think this way.Given how our minds actually work, he seems to think, we're bound to think something like this about the origin of the universe.Yet it's somewhat unclear that he thinks forming beliefs in this way is reliable.It may simply be that we have a brute instinct to think in a way that insures we'll see the world as resulting from some human-like intelligence, and it's at least not clear that that isn't a debunking account of the plausibility of theism.(For more support that this is a debunking explanation, see his The Natural History of Religion, where the explanations of various religious beliefs certainly seem to be one's that suggest those beliefs simply aren't plausible.)

Hume's Posthumous Classic
This short and artfully written book was published after Hume's death.Hume did not wish to experience the controversy engendered by the arguments advanced in the book.It is likely as well that Hume was concerned also with offending some of the moderate Presbyterian clergy who were his personal friends and had been his partisans in other controversies.This book is primarily an attack on the idea that the exercise of reason and logic provides support for religion, and particularly that application of reason leads to strong evidence for the existence of a beneficient God.This line of thought had become particularly popular among liberal theologians in the first half of the 18th century and was a widely held notion among Enlightenment intellectuals across Europe and North America.This idea is still widely held today and can be seen in the writings of the so-called 'intelligent design' advocates of creationism.Hume's criticisms, then, are not only of historic interest but continue to have relevance to our contemporary lives.

The Dialogues are constructed as a 3 cornered argument between three friends. Demea, a man upholding revealed religion against the idea that reason provides support for the existence of God.Cleanthes, an advocate of natural religion.Philo, a skeptical reasoner who attacks the positions held by Demea and Cleanthes.For those who like Hume's sprightly 18th century style, this is a fun book to read.Hume artfully divides some of his strongest arguments between Cleanthes and Philo, and gives the Dialogues the real sense of a dispute among 3 intelligent friends.Philo is generally taken to represent Hume's positions but Cleanthes articulates some strong arguments and provides some of the best criticisms of Demea's fideism.Much of the book is devoted to attacking the argument from design, which Cleanthes attempts to defend against assaults from Philo and Demea.In many ways, the argument from design is the major idea of those supporting the natural religion approach to existence of God.Hume's critique is thorough and powerful.It even includes an anticipation of Darwin's idea's of selection, though the basis for Hume's critique is primarily epistemological.In the later parts of the book, Hume attacks also the comsological argument for the existence of God, though this discussion is relatively brief and a bit confusing.Hume's analysis is consistent broadly with much of his philosophical work.In many ways, his great theme was the limitations of reason, and this book is an example of his preoccupation with the relatively limited role of reason in establishing certain facts about the universe.He finishes with short criticisms of the idea that religion is needed for a stable and well ordered society and defends the usefullness of skeptical reasoning.

It is important to view the Dialogues as part of a critique of religion that Hume sustained in several works.His Natural History of Religion, the On Miracles section of the Enquiry Concerning Human Understacing, and other essays comprise a broad criticism of religion. Other pillars of religion, such as the existence of miracles and revelation, are criticized in his other work.While Hume denied being an atheist and was apparently disturbed by the dogmatic atheism of French philosophes he met in Paris, he was certainly not religous in any conventional sense.

This is a short and very readable book but the power of its arguments are totally out of proportion to its length.

The sun doesn't rise or set or fall
I had a mental love affair with David Hume.I found myself intigued and captivated and frustrated all at once.And, in the end, there was something liberating and alienating.To believe or not to believe--that's something Hume leaves to the reader.Oh, by the way, technically, the sun doesn't rise, nor does it 'set' or fall.The earth spins around its axis--the side that is facing the sun is day; the side facing away from the sun is night. And yet, after reading David Hume, I might even doubt that explanation. ... Read more

Book Description

David Hume (1711–1776) is perhaps best known for his treatises on problems of epistemology, skepticism, and causation. A less familiar side of his intellectual output is his work on legal and political theory. David Hume’s Political Theory brings together Hume’s diverse writings on law and government, collected and examined with a view to revealing the philosopher’s coherent and persuasive theory of politics.

Through close textual analysis, Neil McArthur suggests that the key to Hume’s political theory lies in its distinction between barbarous and civilized government. Throughout the study, the author explores Hume’s argument that a society’s progress from barbarism to civilization depends on the legal and political system by which it is governed. Ultimately, McArthur demonstrates that the skepticism apparent in much of Hume’s work does not necessarily tie him to a strict conservative ideology; rather, Hume’s political theory is seen to emphasize many liberal virtues as well.

Based on a new conception of Hume’s political philosophy, this is a groundbreaking work and a welcome addition to the existing literature.

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David Hume (1711-1776) represented the culmination of the British philosophy of sense-experience. Although he lived in the age of reason, Hume had profound doubts about our ability to know anything in the world with certainty. This skepticism colored his view of science and gave rise to his devastating attack on proofs of the existence of God. Hume believed that values are neither objective nor universal, but nevertheless was optimistic about human nature and our ability to achieve decency in our actions.

The Giants of Philosophy is a series of dramatic presentations, in understandable language, of the concerns, questions, interests, and overall world view of history’s greatest philosophers. Special emphasis on clear and relevant explanations gives you a new arsenal of insights toward living a better life. ... Read more

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Margaret Schabas is Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia.She is the author of two monographs, A World Ruled by Number (Princeton, 1990) and The Natural Origins of Economics (Chicago, 2005).She is also co-editor of Oeconomies in the Age of Newton (2003), and the author of over 30 articles.

Carl Wennerlind is Assistant Professor of History at Barnard College. He is the author of numerous articles on David Humes political economy that have appeared in History of Political Economy, Hume Studies, and Journal of Political Economy. His most recent piece on Hume garnered best article awards from the History of Economics Society and the European Society for the History of Economic Thought.

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library’s preservation reformatting program. ... Read more

Book Description
From the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution in 1688.Download Description
This great event happened on the 5th of July, in the last year of the eleventh century. The Christian princes and nobles, after choosing Godfrey of Bouillon King of Jerusalem, began to settle themselves in their new conquests; while some of them returned to Europe, in order to enjoy at home that glory which their valour had acquired them in this popular and meritorious enterprise. Among these was Robert, Duke of Normandy, who, as he had relinquished the greatest dominions of any prince that attended the crusade, had all along distinguished himself by the most intrepid courage, as well as by that affable disposition and unbounded generosity which gain the hearts of soldiers, and qualify a prince to shine in a military life. ... Read more

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This volume includes substantial selections from Hume's major works in moral thought and a number of peripheral works, which together provide an illuminating introduction to Hume's moral philosophy. ... Read more