Enlightened Chains, pg. 8
extrapolates that reasoning to the injustice seen in the world. His final critique is based on the idea that, “the singular and unparalleled nature of the universe prevents us from making analogical inferences about the creator.” To Hume, there is simply no way to allow any leap of faith that cannot be justified by pure reason. Here, then, is perhaps the singular example of an Enlightenment figure that had absolutely no respect for any sort of faith, other than faith in what can be experimentally reproduced or studied.
It is not, however, perfectly accurate to call Hume an atheist. Rather, the term “agnostic” might better fit him. He did not absolutely deny the existence of God, but simply insisted that there must be some proof of God before he would believe it himself. It could be said, in fact, that Hume may have been the originator of the faith followed by those who now lay claim to “intelligent design” as a means of rectifying what is known by science with what is claimed by religion. In Treatise, he writes, “The order of the universe proves an omnipotent mind”. In his collected letters, he writes, “Wherever I see order, I infer from experience that there, there hath been Design and Contrivance . . . the same principle obliges me to infer an infinitely perfect Architect from the Infinite Art and Contrivance which is displayed in the whole fabric of the universe.”
If it is a mistake to critique the French Enlightenment writers without understanding their context; then it is likewise a mistake for Hume. Hume’s native Scotland was ruled through the strict Calvinist power of the General Assembly. The deterministic basis of that religious practice rankled Hume and he spent a significant part of his early life battling back and forth with his religious teachings - bending his mental capacities to upholding the faith he had learned. Ultimately, he determined that this exercise was fruitless and had been the cause of much wasted time in his life. It is not
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It is not, however, perfectly accurate to call Hume an atheist. Rather, the term “agnostic” might better fit him. He did not absolutely deny the existence of God, but simply insisted that there must be some proof of God before he would believe it himself. It could be said, in fact, that Hume may have been the originator of the faith followed by those who now lay claim to “intelligent design” as a means of rectifying what is known by science with what is claimed by religion. In Treatise, he writes, “The order of the universe proves an omnipotent mind”. In his collected letters, he writes, “Wherever I see order, I infer from experience that there, there hath been Design and Contrivance . . . the same principle obliges me to infer an infinitely perfect Architect from the Infinite Art and Contrivance which is displayed in the whole fabric of the universe.”
If it is a mistake to critique the French Enlightenment writers without understanding their context; then it is likewise a mistake for Hume. Hume’s native Scotland was ruled through the strict Calvinist power of the General Assembly. The deterministic basis of that religious practice rankled Hume and he spent a significant part of his early life battling back and forth with his religious teachings - bending his mental capacities to upholding the faith he had learned. Ultimately, he determined that this exercise was fruitless and had been the cause of much wasted time in his life. It is not
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