| The Natural History of Religion (annotated) Contributor(s): Hume, David (Author) |
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ISBN: 1530958687 ISBN-13: 9781530958689 Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform OUR PRICE: $5.46 Product Type: Paperback Published: April 2016 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | History - Philosophy | Religious |
| Physical Information: 0.11" H x 5.98" W x 9.02" (0.19 lbs) 54 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The Natural History of Religion is a classic religious history text by by David Hume. In this essay, Hume offers a pioneering naturalist account of the causes, effects, and historical development of religious belief. Hume argues that a crude polytheism was the earliest religion of mankind and locates the origins of religion in emotion, particularly hope, fear, and the desire to control the future. He further argues that monotheism arises from competition between religions, as believers seek to distinguish their deities as superior to all rivals, magnifying those deities until they possess all perfections. Though an enlightened monotheism is more rationally defensible than a superstitious polytheism, in practice polytheism has many advantages. In particular, Hume argues, monotheistic religions tend to be more intolerant and hypocritical, result in greater intellectual absurdities, and foster socially undesirable "monkish virtues," such as mortification, abasement, and passive suffering. |