True Religion as True Philosophy: Its Intellectual, Emotional and Moral Aspects

For Hume, the so-called popular superstition is a corrupted form of true religion, with the latter constituting a type of worship whose role is to regulate passions. True religion is the true adoration of God (or the first cause of the universe) because it rejects anthropomorphism, leading the philosopher to true piety. Curiosity and the love of truth are the main passions of philosophical inquiry in general, and thus of true religion (the philosophical investigation of the arguments of natural theology) in particular. Although both minimal theism and agnosticism can be linked to true religion, the chapter examines how a minimal theist interpretation of Hume’s personal view on God (indicated more clearly in his earlier writings) could be reconciled with the more agnostic tone of Philo at the end of the Dialogues. Finally, the chapter elaborates on Hume’s idea of philosophical dialogue, linking it to the conception of true religion manifested in the relation between Philo and Cleanthes. Here, Hume shows how philosophical discussions ought to be carried out—ideally in a respectful and moderated manner as in Dialogues.