I'm suppose to write a page long analysis about David Hume's beliefs about God..supposedly hes an athesist, but he also says he believes in God the creator..im confused so any help would be great thanks!
I think Ms. Sue is right. This is often what some philosophical thinkers come to believe.
It would be as if God the creator spun a top (metaphorical for the universe, the world, etc.) and let it go wherever it would, without further action by Him. This Prime Mover thought has been around a long time!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primum_movens
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume
As with all Wikipedia search results, be sure to check out all the external links and further references at the bottom of each Wikipedia page.
Um that doesn't really help sorry i need information about his beliefs regarding god...and not just wikipedia please because people can change the information so i don't trust it..do you have any other ideas
Read the external links at the bottom of the Wikipedia page. That's the best part of Wikipedia or any encyclopedia -- the "further references."
You probably didn't check the external links as urged by Writeacher.
External links
Wikisource has original works written by or about:
David Hume Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: David Hume
Online editions of Hume's work:
David Hume at the Online Library of Liberty
Works by David Hume at Project Gutenberg
A Treatise of Human Nature at Project Gutenberg
The History of England, Volume I at Project Gutenberg
An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals at Project Gutenberg
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding at Project Gutenberg
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion at Project Gutenberg
Works by David Hume in audio format at LibriVox
Books by David Hume at the Online Books Page
English Men of Letters: Hume at Project Gutenberg , biography and discussion of Hume by T.H. Huxley
David Hume resources including books, articles, and encyclopedia entries
Hume Society, an international scholarly society
David Hume at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Hume's Aesthetics at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Hume's Moral Philosophy at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Hume on Religionat the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Hume on Free Will at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
David Hume at James Boswell — a Guide
'Easier-to-read' versions of most of Hume's philosophical works by Jonathan Bennett
David Hume Bibliography
A Bibliography of Hume's Early Writings and Early Responses
"A play reading at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe regarding Humes life and legacy"
A podcast interview of Stewart Sutherland discussing Hume on the Argument from Design
A podcast interview of Peter Millican discussing Hume's Significance
'The Empiricist Turn', a lecture on Hume's arguments against the existence of God given by Professor Keith Ward at Gresham College, 14 February 2008 [available for free audio, video or text download].
Your saying look through all those websites..can you please just name the site out of those that talks about his beliefs/opinions about god..please im asking nicely i really don't have much time to finish this.
Understanding David Hume's view on God can indeed be complex, as he presents a nuanced stance that may seem contradictory at first. Hume was an influential philosopher of the 18th century and is often classified as a skeptic and an empiricist. While he has often been associated with atheism, it is essential to explore the context and intricacies of his belief system to grasp his position on God.
Hume's skepticism led him to question the traditional arguments for God's existence. He argued that we cannot know anything with absolute certainty, including the existence of God. Hume emphasized the limitations of human knowledge and the fallibility of our reasoning abilities. As a result, he doubted the validity of arguments such as the cosmological, teleological, and ontological proofs.
However, it is important to note that Hume's skepticism did not make him an outright atheist. Although he rejected the traditional proofs for God's existence, he did not deny the possibility of a divine being. Hume distinguished between two types of belief: "natural belief" and "philosophical belief."
"Natural belief" refers to the beliefs that arise from our everyday experiences and emotions. Hume argued that humans naturally tend to believe in the existence of a creator or divine power due to our interactions with the world. He suggested that these beliefs are deeply ingrained in human nature and are not subject to logical scrutiny. Thus, Hume acknowledged the existence of a general belief in God as an inherent aspect of human psychology.
On the other hand, "philosophical belief" pertains to beliefs that arise from rational inquiry and argumentation. Hume maintained that philosophical arguments for God's existence, such as those mentioned earlier, are inadequate and insufficient to establish a sound case for the existence of a divine being. While he found these arguments unpersuasive, he did not claim to have refuted the possibility of a god entirely.
Hume's position, therefore, rests on an agnostic approach that emphasizes the limitations of human knowledge rather than asserting a definite denial or affirmation of God's existence. He acknowledged the human tendency to believe in a creator but rejected the idea that this belief could be rationally proven or disproven.
To write a page-long analysis of Hume's beliefs about God, consider examining the following points:
1. The context of Hume's skepticism and his criticisms of traditional arguments for God's existence.
2. Hume's distinction between "natural belief" and "philosophical belief" and how it shapes his view on God.
3. Explore Hume's emphasis on the limitations of human knowledge and reason.
4. Discuss how Hume's skepticism neither confirms his atheism nor supports theism, but rather positions him as an agnostic philosopher.
5. Examine the implications of Hume's philosophy on faith and belief in general.
By delving into these aspects of Hume's philosophy, you will be able to provide a comprehensive analysis of his perspective on God and clarify the apparent contradiction between his skepticism and his acknowledgment of belief in a divine being.
Perhaps Hume meant that God created everything, but then sat back and let nature and people do their thing. In other words, he may have felt that there was no God to whom one could pray nor a God who would intervene in human affairs.
What do you think?