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1 - Hume’s Dilemma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2024

Peter Harrison
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
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Summary

David Hume’s famous argument against believing miracle reports exemplifies several key issues relating to the emergence of modern naturalism. Hume uncritically assumes the universal and unproblematic nature of core conceptions such as ‘supernatural’ and ‘laws of nature’. Hume’s argument also presents him with a dilemma. He relies upon the weight of testimony to establish his case against believing miracle reports, but must also contend with the weight of testimony, across different times and cultures, to the existence of the supernatural. Hume resolves this by an appeal to historical progress accompanied by a dubious racial theory. These enable him to discount testimonies emanating from the past and from other cultures. ‘Hume’s dilemma’ has not gone away and, if anything, is even more acute since the traditions and beliefs of non-Western cultures are now more difficult to dismiss on the basis of dubious historical accounts of Western exceptionalism. This dilemma amounts to a tension between the ethics of belief and the demands of epistemic justice.

Type
Chapter
Information
Some New World
Myths of Supernatural Belief in a Secular Age
, pp. 13 - 23
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Hume’s Dilemma
  • Peter Harrison, University of Queensland
  • Book: Some New World
  • Online publication: 29 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009477215.002
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  • Hume’s Dilemma
  • Peter Harrison, University of Queensland
  • Book: Some New World
  • Online publication: 29 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009477215.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Hume’s Dilemma
  • Peter Harrison, University of Queensland
  • Book: Some New World
  • Online publication: 29 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009477215.002
Available formats
×