Michael Granado (Author)
Hume’s arguments against the cosmological argument have, in the past century, often been highly praised by commentators such as H.D.Aiken and E.C. Mossner. While Hume’s argument often receives strong philosophical support, the four major objections raised against the cosmological argument in book IX of his Dialogues hinge upon a misunderstanding of Newtonian natural philosophy. Hence, when the proper historical context is considered, Hume’s objections are weak at best, for they assume an understanding of matter and physical necessity that are inconsistent with Newtonian natural philosophy. This paper will outline Hume’s objections, and explore how the formulation of the cosmological argument put forth by the English philosopher Samuel Clarke was reliant upon the best available scientific evidence, i.e. Newtonian philosophy. Consequently, any contemporary supporter of Hume who believes that his argument was successful in quenching the enlightenment era reiteration of the cosmological argument does so anachronistically.
...More
Article
Hayashi, Shin-ichiro;
(2009)
Was Clarke Newton's Agent? Reexamination of Samuel Clarke in the Controversy with Leibniz
(/isis/citation/CBB000931599/)
Article
Baxfield, Christopher;
(2013)
“Who Is the Almighty That We Should Serve Him?” Chaos, Providence and Natural Philosophy in Stephen Hales
(/isis/citation/CBB001252607/)
Chapter
Tamas Demeter;
(2014)
Enlarging the Bounds of Moral Philosophy: Newton's Method and Hume's Science of Man
(/isis/citation/CBB803014043/)
Chapter
Pierris, Graciela de;
(2012)
Newton, Locke, and Hume
(/isis/citation/CBB001500347/)
Chapter
Stephen Gaukroger;
(2014)
Empiricism as a Development of Experimental Natural Philosophy
(/isis/citation/CBB971325669/)
Thesis
Schliesser, Eric S.;
(2002)
Indispensable Hume: From Isaac Newton's Natural Philosophy to Adam Smith's Science of Man
(/isis/citation/CBB001562221/)
Book
Martin, Craig;
(2014)
Subverting Aristotle: Religion, History, and Philosophy in Early Modern Science
(/isis/citation/CBB001422607/)
Chapter
Catherine Abou-Nemeh;
(2017)
Controversies over Comets: Isaac Newton, Nicolas Hartsoeker, and Early Modern World-making
(/isis/citation/CBB982337013/)
Article
Ovanes Akopyan;
(2022)
Discussing Tides Before and After Newton: Roger Joseph Boscovich’s De aestu maris
(/isis/citation/CBB435148776/)
Book
Dante Alighieri;
Giuseppe Boffito;
(2021)
Quaestio de aqua et terra
(/isis/citation/CBB788424367/)
Article
Dmitri Levitin;
(2021)
Newton on the Rules of Philosophizing and Hypotheses: New Evidence, New Conclusions
(/isis/citation/CBB194940336/)
Article
Vincenzo Schettino;
(2017)
Isaac Newton and Alchemy
(/isis/citation/CBB730185488/)
Article
Ovidiu Babeş;
(2022)
Playing with the Ancients: The Cosmology of Gilles Personne de Roberval
(/isis/citation/CBB618042661/)
Book
Harper, William L.;
(2011)
Isaac Newton's Scientific Method: Turning Data into Evidence about Gravity and Cosmology
(/isis/citation/CBB001221264/)
Book
Niccolò Guicciardini;
(2021)
Isaac Newton: Filosofo della Natura, interprete della Scrittura, cronologo degli Antichi Regni
(/isis/citation/CBB698089545/)
Article
Gregory Brown;
(2016)
Did Samuel Clarke Really Disavow Action at a Distance in His Correspondence with Leibniz?: Newton, Clarke, and Bentley on Gravitation and Action at a Distance
(/isis/citation/CBB410182076/)
Article
Wigelsworth, Jeffrey R.;
(2009)
Samuel Clarke's Newtonian Soul
(/isis/citation/CBB001030599/)
Article
Snobelen, Stephen;
(1997)
Caution, conscience, and the Newtonian Reformation: The public and private heresies of Newton, Clarke, and Whiston
(/isis/citation/CBB000079293/)
Book
Lefèvre, Wolfgang;
(2001)
Between Leibniz, Newton, and Kant: Philosophy and Science in the Eighteenth Century
(/isis/citation/CBB000100782/)
Article
Harrison, Peter;
(1995)
Newtonian science, miracles, and the laws of nature
(/isis/citation/CBB000069255/)
Be the first to comment!