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Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

David Hume · 1779

Hume's posthumously published dialogue debating arguments for and against the existence and nature of God.

Hume's most daring and controversial work on religion, published only after his death.

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Title page of the 1779 London second edition of David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Text reads: DIALOGUES CONCERNING NATURAL RELIGION, BY DAVID HUME, Esq., THE SECOND EDITION, a short horizontal rule, LONDON: MDCCLXXIX.
David Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, title page, 1779.

About this source

What it is

Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion is a philosophical work written by David Hume over many years and published in 1779, after his death. It is written as a conversation between three characters, Demea, Philo, and Cleanthes, who debate whether and how we can know God's nature.

Why it matters

The Dialogues examine the argument from design (that the order of the universe proves a designer) and the problem of evil (why suffering exists if God is good). Hume held the work back during his lifetime because its arguments were so controversial. Later thinkers, including biologist Richard Dawkins, pointed to Hume's criticism of design arguments as an early challenge later answered by Darwin's theory of evolution.

Look closer

  • Why might Hume have chosen to present controversial ideas through characters in a dialogue rather than in his own voice?
  • Which character do you think speaks closest to Hume's own views, and why?
  • Why did Hume delay publishing this work until after his death?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of David Hume on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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