In the Dialogues concerning natural Religion, Cleanthes delineates the “proper office” of religion: “to regulate the heart of men, humanize their conduct, infuse the spirit of temperance, order, and obedience”. This view is adopted by Hume in some texts of the years 1755-56 and recalls that of the narrator in the philosophical essay “Of the Practical Consequences of Natural Religion” (1748): those who destroy religious prejudices “free Men from one Restraint upon their Passions, and make the Infringiment of the Laws of Equity and Society, in one Respect, more easy and secure”. Does Hume really believe it? Many Hume scholars take him seriously; the Philosophical Essays, the Dialogues and the History, their relations, possible sources, and readings, tell us that we can’t. Religion is not a restraint on our passions nor an enforcement of morality. The “proper office” of religion, rather than Hume’s belief, seems to be one of his attempts to soften the offensive treatment of religious beliefs and their consequences.
The broken brake: Hume and the “proper office” of religion, 2018-12.
Autori: | Mazza, Emilio |
Data di pubblicazione: | dic-2018 |
Titolo: | The broken brake: Hume and the “proper office” of religion |
Rivista: | |
Nazione editore: | Italy |
Editore: | EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste |
Volume: | 20 |
Fascicolo: | 3 |
Pagina iniziale: | 261 |
Pagina finale: | 317 |
Numero di pagine: | 57 |
Revisione (peer review): | esperti anonimi |
Rilevanza: | internazionale |
Lingua: | English |
URL: | http://hdl.handle.net/10077/22597 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | http://dx.doi.org/10.13137/1825-5167/22597 |
Settore Scientifico Disciplinare: | Settore M-FIL/06 - Storia della Filosofia |
Keywords: | David Hume, Philosophical Essays concerning Human Understanding, Dialogues concerning natural Religion, History of Great Britain, Religion, Morality |
Abstract: | In the Dialogues concerning natural Religion, Cleanthes delineates the “proper office” of religion: “to regulate the heart of men, humanize their conduct, infuse the spirit of temperance, order, and obedience”. This view is adopted by Hume in some texts of the years 1755-56 and recalls that of the narrator in the philosophical essay “Of the Practical Consequences of Natural Religion” (1748): those who destroy religious prejudices “free Men from one Restraint upon their Passions, and make the Infringiment of the Laws of Equity and Society, in one Respect, more easy and secure”. Does Hume really believe it? Many Hume scholars take him seriously; the Philosophical Essays, the Dialogues and the History, their relations, possible sources, and readings, tell us that we can’t. Religion is not a restraint on our passions nor an enforcement of morality. The “proper office” of religion, rather than Hume’s belief, seems to be one of his attempts to soften the offensive treatment of religious beliefs and their consequences. |
Numero degli autori: | 1 |
Supporto: | Online |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 1.01 Articolo in rivista |
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