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A review by fuhhlarzablur
Dialogues and Natural History of Religion by David Hume
3.0
The Dialogues often come across (perhaps as intended) as a thinly veiled attempt to disguise Hume's own radically sceptical opinions on Christianity, and the three-character structure can be difficult to follow even with close reading. Hume's own supposed presence as mute observer to the conversation is awkward at times, especially towards the end, when Demea departs, leaving Philo and Cleanthes to speak intimately as if they were alone (there's material for a slashfic here, honest...) The arguments themselves are elegantly constructed and often dizzyingly effective, notwithstanding Philo's "retraction" in the final sections.
The Natural History is limited in places by its author's prejudices, none too surprising coming from an eighteenth-century man of privilege who, as far as I can tell, never set foot outside Europe, and ostensibly spoke to very few women. The text's strengths lie in its (now-expected) willingness to (coyly) explore challenges to all aspects of the Christian faith, and in its dazzling evidence of the depths to which Hume plumbed the literature of Graeco-Roman antiquity. Once again, the OWC editorial material is extensive and highly relevant.
The Natural History is limited in places by its author's prejudices, none too surprising coming from an eighteenth-century man of privilege who, as far as I can tell, never set foot outside Europe, and ostensibly spoke to very few women. The text's strengths lie in its (now-expected) willingness to (coyly) explore challenges to all aspects of the Christian faith, and in its dazzling evidence of the depths to which Hume plumbed the literature of Graeco-Roman antiquity. Once again, the OWC editorial material is extensive and highly relevant.