more from this thinker     |     more from this text


Single Idea 6957

[filed under theme 28. God / B. Proving God / 1. Proof of God ]

Full Idea

But in theological reasonings … we are employed upon objects, which, we must be sensible, are too large for our grasp.

Gist of Idea

The objects of theological reasoning are too big for our minds

Source

David Hume (Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion [1751], Part 1)

Book Ref

Hume,David: 'Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion' [Penguin], p.45


The 11 ideas with the same theme [using reason to convince of God's existence]:

For Aristotle God is defined in an axiom, for which there is no proof [Aristotle, by Frede,M]
God is defended by agreement, order, absurdity of denying God, and refutations [Sext.Empiricus]
God has given us no innate idea of himself [Locke]
Without the principle of sufficient reason, God's existence could not be demonstrated [Leibniz]
There must be a God, because all sensible things must be perceived by him [Berkeley]
There must be a God, because I and my ideas are not independent [Berkeley]
The objects of theological reasoning are too big for our minds [Hume]
Only three proofs of God: the physico-theological (evidence), the cosmological (existence), the ontological (a priori) [Kant]
The God of revealed religion can only be understood through pure speculative knowledge [Hegel]
If the God hypothesis works well, then it is true [James]
'Natural theology' aims to prove God to anyone (not just believers) by reason or argument [Davies,B]