David Hume By Richard Jones and Dan Tedham

Biographical Details Born in 1711 in Scotland. Major work: Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779) Contains most of his criticisms of major theories but offers few of his own.

Criteria for criticism A sceptic that asked 2 questions of any statement: 1- Does it contain fact that you can relate to your own experience. 2- Is the reasoning used logical If the answer is no then it does not give us any reliable knowledge.

Criticism of the Cosmological argument ‘how can anything that exists from eternity have a cause since that implies a priority in existence’ We can just say that the universe has always been there. There doesn’t have to have been a cause. The world is its own cause, is just as satisfactory as God was the cause.

Criticism of the Design Argument Our knowledge of the world is too limited to make the conclusion of a designer. Illogical to jump to the conclusion that God is the creator. The problem of evil suggests God didn’t design the world. Cannot relate nature to mechanical watch.

Existence of God The problem of Evil: The fact that evil exists means that god cannot be either all good or all powerful. He was willing to accepted this argument because he didn’t believe in God to start with. Aquinas rejected it using an argument that relies on a prior belief in God.

On miracles “A miracle is a transgression of a law of nature by the interposition of an invisible agent” Nothing is a miracle if it happens within the common course of nature. (Rejection of Holland’s view that coincidence can be a miracle)

Criticism of miracles Although they may happen, we cannot prove a miracle because evidence against miracles is too large. “Only justified if it’s falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact.” Reasons for not believing: 1.People want to see miracles 2.No claims from enough educated, good sensed men. 3.Contradicting miracles from different religions.