General Announcements/Opinions

This is a post just looking for (and giving a few) ideas regarding the class...
1.) Movie Night:
Would anyone be interested in having a sort of after school (during the week, preferably) movie night? For example, it seems like nobody (including me) has seen Rear Window, a classic Hitchcock film, so perhaps we could have a Hitchcock night, or we could celebrate the work of an individual studio or director or film franchise... I'd love to know everyone's thoughts on this.
2.) This is sort of random, but I've been really into it recently. Rotten Tomatoes is a website much like Metacritic that aggregates reviews of films into one solid numerical value, but unlike Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes produces a TV show which is a really fun way of seeing bits and pieces of movies and getting to understand the process of reviewing films... If anyone is interested in watching it, check it out here

Pamphilus Has the Last Word

Pamphilus concludes at the end of the Dialogues, "Philo's principles are more probable than Demea's, but those of Cleanthes approach still nearer to the truth" (89). What are we to make of this observation? Is this supposed to be the judgment of Hume? Is this supposed to be ironic in some way? Does this statement tell us anything about the arguments -- or more about Pamphilus?

Evil? No Problem

In sections X and Xi, Philo and Demea catalogue human misery and Philo uses this evidence to prove that either God does NOT exist or He is NOT benevolent. Is this argument sound? If not, where does the argument fail?

The Principle of Sufficient Reason: No Brute Facts?

You are hiking in a remote wilderness, miles from the nearest building or even cell phone tower. You come upon a clearing and see a crystal sphere hovering over you and emitting colorful light pulses in some seeming order: red, blue, green and the pattern repeats. Should there be an explanation for this odd phenomenon or is it acceptable to shrug our shoulders and mutter "Stuff happens"? Can we extrapolate from this case to a general principle of the universe? If so, can we prove that God (or a reasonable facsimile) exists?

The Relevance of the Origin of Species

One important scientific development unavailable to David Hume or any of his fictional interlocutors is the theory of evolution. For many people today, both theists and atheists, religious believers, scientists and intellectuals, the truth of evolution is bound up with the truth of theism. So what is the significance of evolution for the design argument? Does is it provide evidence for either side of the debate? On this 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's seminal Origin of Species, it is fitting to ask: where might a discussion of Darwin have fit into Hume's Dialogues?

Analogies and Disanalogies

Cleanthes argues that the universe is like a machine and hence likely designed by intelligent creator. Philo, on the other hand, proposes that it is equally probable that the universe is like an animal or vegetable and the order in the universe may be the result of generation, vegitation, or instinct. He even suggests that chance could produce our universe. Who is right? Given the order and seeming purpose to the universe, what is the most likely explanation? Or are none of them more likely than the other (and hence agnosticism the only rational position)?

Skepticism vs. Idealism: are they so different?

Idealism rejects the material existence of objects, saying everything resides in the mind, while skepticism questions existence entirely. How different is Berkeley's line of logic from that of a skeptic? Is the distinction just one of convenience?