Begin reading Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, to the end of Part II.
In 2-5 well-written paragraphs, describe Cleanthes's "argument a posteriori" (also known as the "design argument" or "argument from design") for the existence of God, as well as 1-2 objections to this argument presented by Demea and Philo. If you like, you can also consider whether the argument(s) you have presented is/are convincing. Be sure to support your answer with citations and quotations (give parenthetical page references to the Hackett edition).
Since this is your first reading of these texts, and since we have not yet discussed them in class, you needn't aim for definitive answers but preliminary, thoughtful responses based on close attention to the text. Your answers may also include 1-2 important questions raised by your reading for further discussion.
Please type and double-space your answer, and number and staple the pages you hand in.
Please keep a copy of your quiz to refer to in our class discussions of Hume over the next few meetings.
posted September 27