Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion: A Quick Read edition

Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read.
This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 3 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 12 minutes

Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion is a philosophical work by David Hume, published in 1779. The book is a debate between three philosophers named Demea, Philo, and Cleanthes, who discuss the nature of God's existence. While all three agree that a god exists, they differ sharply in opinion on God's nature or attributes and how, or if, humankind can come to knowledge of a deity. The book debates a number of arguments for the existence of God, including the argument from design and the argument from evil. Hume started writing the Dialogues in 1750 but did not complete them until 1776, shortly before his death. The book was published posthumously in 1779, originally with neither the author's nor the publisher's name. The character Philo presents views most similar to those of Hume, attacking Cleanthes' views on anthropomorphism and teleology. Demea defends the Cosmological argument and philosophical theism, while Cleanthes is an "experimental theist" who bases his beliefs about God's existence and nature upon a version of the teleological argument. The book is considered a classic of the philosophy of religion and has been influential in the development of modern atheism.