{"product_id":"9780190673529","title":"Hume's Presence in The Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion","description":"Why did David Hume feel so deeply about publishing \u003cem\u003eThe Dialouges Concerning Natural Religion\u003c\/em\u003e that he set aside funds in his will providing for its posthumous publication? Part of the answer is that it provided a literary, satirical work responding to his mean-spirited theological critics. In \u003cem\u003eHume's Presence \u003c\/em\u003eRobert Fogelin provides a textual analysis that demonstrates the close relationship of \u003cem\u003eThe Dialogues\u003c\/em\u003e with his central philosophical writings and its centrality to his relationship with skepticism.  A striking feature of \u003cem\u003eThe Dialogues\u003c\/em\u003e is that Cleanthes and Philo seem well versed in the works of the philosopher David Hume. Their arguments often echo in content--even wording--claims found in Hume's central philosophical writings. Beyond this, the overall dialectical structure of \u003cem\u003eThe Dialogues \u003c\/em\u003emirrors dialectical developments found in both \u003cem\u003eThe Treatise of Human Nature\u003c\/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eEnquiry Concerning Human Understanding\u003c\/em\u003e: the naturalistic effort to provide a rational defense of religion ends in weakening religious commitments rather than in strengthening them. Nowhere in \u003cem\u003eThe Dialogues\u003c\/em\u003e does Hume address his readers directly. As a result, it may not immediately be clear whether Hume is expressing his own opinions through one of his characters or is using a character to represent a position he wishes to examine, perhaps to reject. \u003cem\u003eThe Dialogues\u003c\/em\u003e is a contest, and Hume, by not speaking directly in his own voice, leaves it-officially, at least-to his readers to judge who, if anyone, wins.  The central problem of \u003cem\u003eThe Dialogues\u003c\/em\u003e is to consider what Hume understood by skepticism. The second section of this book examines competing views of Hume's skepticism, concluding with his own remarks. In the \u003cem\u003eTreatise\u003c\/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eEnquiry\u003c\/em\u003e, Hume says, when consumed by skeptical arguments and reasoning, he finds philosophical nurture in rejoining the practices of everyday life. His famous, concluding remark in \u003cem\u003eThe Dialogues\u003c\/em\u003e about skepticism being the basis for a believing Christian seems cut from the same cloth.","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47182904000752,"sku":"9780190673529","price":44.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780190673529_p0.jpg?v=1763660159","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780190673529","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}