Philo
E93766
Philo is a skeptical, philosophically inclined character in David Hume’s "Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion," often seen as representing Hume’s own critical views on religion and metaphysics.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional character
→
literary character → philosophical character → |
| appearsIn | Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion → |
| arguesThat |
human experience is limited and fallible
→
metaphysical claims about God exceed empirical evidence → the problem of evil challenges traditional theism → |
| associatedPhilosophicalTradition |
Scottish Enlightenment
→
early modern philosophy → |
| associatedWith |
critique of design arguments
→
critique of natural theology → metaphysical skepticism → religious skepticism → |
| contrastsWith |
Cleanthes of Assos
→
surface form: "Cleanthes"
Demea → |
| createdBy | David Hume → |
| dialoguePosition | skeptical critic of natural religion → |
| discusses |
anthropomorphism in conceptions of God
→
compatibility of evil with divine attributes → epistemic limits of natural theology → status of miracles (indirectly via Hume’s views) → |
| engagesWithTopic |
a posteriori arguments for God
→
a priori arguments for God → arguments from design → existence of God → limits of human reason → nature of divine attributes → problem of evil → |
| influences |
later debates on philosophy of religion
→
modern religious skepticism → |
| languageOfWork | English → |
| literaryFunction |
spokesperson for mitigated skepticism
→
vehicle for Hume’s critical views on religion → |
| method |
empirical critique of metaphysics
→
use of skeptical arguments → |
| philosophicalStance |
empiricism
→
skepticism → |
| portrayedAs |
cautious about metaphysical speculation
→
sympathetic to common life but critical of dogma → witty and ironic → |
| questions |
human capacity to know divine nature
→
inference from order in nature to a designer → validity of analogical reasoning in design arguments → |
| representsViewOf | David Hume NERFINISHED → |
| roleInWork | interlocutor in a philosophical dialogue → |
| timeOfCreation | 18th century → |
| workGenre | philosophical dialogue → |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.