Yes, I do seriously hold the view that David Hume was an atheist. And for what it's worth, I am a "serious scholar" of early modern philosophy. Since I obviously cannot corroborate myself, however, know that I am joined in this contention by Paul Russell (whose subtle and nuanced account of Hume's religious views is well worth reading) and the late J.L. Mackie. Hume's atheism also comes out quite clearly during his final interview with James Boswell, and the only time Hume claimed not to be an atheist was in an attempt to get a job he had been denied because he was an atheist. There are others, scholarly and otherwise, who hold my view (Anthony Flew, for instance, counts Hume as an atheist even after his conversion), but I have responded to your direct challenge. Postmodern Beatnik ( talk) 17:50, 15 February 2008 (UTC)
Hume and Kierkegaard nicely sum up my own view on the question of theism versus atheism, and insofar as I see myself in precisely the same position as Hume (philosophically agnostic, but personally lacking faith) I see us as both atheists in an important and relevant sense. Postmodern Beatnik ( talk) 17:55, 17 February 2008 (UTC)The conviction of the religionists, in all ages, is more affected than real... Men dare not avow, even to their own hearts, the doubts which they entertain on such subjects: they make a merit of implicit faith; and disguise to themselves their real infidelity.
When posting on someone's talk page, it's polite to add your comments to the bottom of the page. If you click on the little "+" sign next to the "edit this page" button, new topics will go to the bottom automatically. Also, after I edited my talk page to place your comment in the appropriate spot, your next comment was placed randomly in the middle of other conversations. Please be more careful in the future. Postmodern Beatnik ( talk) 21:12, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
Yes, I do seriously hold the view that David Hume was an atheist. And for what it's worth, I am a "serious scholar" of early modern philosophy. Since I obviously cannot corroborate myself, however, know that I am joined in this contention by Paul Russell (whose subtle and nuanced account of Hume's religious views is well worth reading) and the late J.L. Mackie. Hume's atheism also comes out quite clearly during his final interview with James Boswell, and the only time Hume claimed not to be an atheist was in an attempt to get a job he had been denied because he was an atheist. There are others, scholarly and otherwise, who hold my view (Anthony Flew, for instance, counts Hume as an atheist even after his conversion), but I have responded to your direct challenge. Postmodern Beatnik ( talk) 17:50, 15 February 2008 (UTC)
Hume and Kierkegaard nicely sum up my own view on the question of theism versus atheism, and insofar as I see myself in precisely the same position as Hume (philosophically agnostic, but personally lacking faith) I see us as both atheists in an important and relevant sense. Postmodern Beatnik ( talk) 17:55, 17 February 2008 (UTC)The conviction of the religionists, in all ages, is more affected than real... Men dare not avow, even to their own hearts, the doubts which they entertain on such subjects: they make a merit of implicit faith; and disguise to themselves their real infidelity.
When posting on someone's talk page, it's polite to add your comments to the bottom of the page. If you click on the little "+" sign next to the "edit this page" button, new topics will go to the bottom automatically. Also, after I edited my talk page to place your comment in the appropriate spot, your next comment was placed randomly in the middle of other conversations. Please be more careful in the future. Postmodern Beatnik ( talk) 21:12, 17 February 2008 (UTC)