Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T04:57:54.473Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Critical Notice: Paul Russell’s The Riddle of Hume’s Treatise: Skepticism, Naturalism, and Irreligion (OUP 2008)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Joe Campbell
Joe Campbell*
Affiliation:
Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs, PO Box 644880, Washington State University, Pullman, WA99164-4880, USA
*
*Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In The Riddle of Hume’s Treatise: Skepticism, Naturalism, and Irreligion (2008), Paul Russell makes a strong case for the claim that “The primary aim of Hume’s series of skeptical arguments, as developed and distributed throughout the Treatise, is to discredit the doctrines and dogmas of Christian philosophy and theology with a view toward redirecting our philosophical investigations to areas of ‘common life, ’ with the particular aim of advancing ‘the science of man’”; (2008, 290). Understanding Hume in this way, according to Russell, sheds light on the “ultimate riddle”; of the Treatise: “is it possible to reconcile Hume’s (extreme) skeptical principles and conclusions with his aim to advance the ‘science of man’”; (2008, 3)? Or does Hume’s skepticism undermine his “secular, scientific account of the foundations of moral life in human nature”; (290)? Russell’s controversial thesis is that “the irreligious nature of Hume’s fundamental intentions in the Treatise”; is essential to solving the riddle (11). Russell makes a compelling case for Hume’s irreligion as well as his atheism. Contrary to this interpretation I argue that Hume is an irreligious theist and not an atheist.

Keywords

Paul RussellDavid Humereligionatheismskepticismnaturalism
Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Philosophy , Volume 45 , Issue 1 , February 2015 , pp. 127 - 137
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Journal of Philosophy 2015

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Campbell, J. 2011. Free Will. Cambridge:Polity Press.Google Scholar
Gaskin, J. C. A. 1988. Hume’s Philosophy of Religion. 2nd ed. Atlantic Highlands, NJ:Humanities Press International.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartshorne, C. 1962. The Logic of Perfection. LaSalle, IL:Open Court.Google Scholar
Hume, D. 1947. Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. 2nd ed. Edited by Smith, Kemp. Indianapolis:Bobbs-Merrill.Google Scholar
Hume, D. 1954. New Letters of David Hume, edited by Klibansky, R. and Mossner, E. C., 10–14. Oxford:Clarendon Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hume, D. 1956. The Natural History of Religion, edited by Root, H. E.. Stanford, CA:Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Hume, D. 1975. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, in Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals, edited by Selby-Bigge, L. A. and Nidditch, P. H.. 3rd ed. Oxford:Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Hume, D. 1978. A Treatise of Human Nature, edited bySelby-Bigge, L. A. andNidditch, P. H.. 2nd ed. Nidditch:Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Priest, G. 1985. “Hume’s Final Argument.”;History of Philosophy Quarterly 2 (3):349–352.Google Scholar
Reich, L. 1998. Hume’s Religious Naturalism. Lanham, MD:University Press of America.Google Scholar
Russell, P. 2008. The Riddle of Hume’s Treatise: Skepticism, Naturalism, and Irreligion. Oxford:Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strawson, P. F. 1985. Skepticism and Naturalism: Some Varieties. Columbia, NY:Columbia University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strawson, P. F., andHahn, L. E..1998a. “Reply to Simon Blackburn.”; InThe Philosophy of P.F. Strawson, edited byHahn, L. E., 168–174. LaSalle, IL:Open Court.Google Scholar
Strawson, P. F. 1998b. “Reply to Andrew G. Black.”; InThe Philosophy of P.F. Strawson, edited byHahn, L. E., 242–244. LaSalle, IL:Open Court.Google Scholar
Tweyman, S. 1987. “Hume’s Dialogues on Evil.”;Hume Studies 13 (1):74–85.doi:10.1353/hms.2011.0488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar