Why did Hume not Become an Atheist?: The Influence of Butler on Hume's Dialogues

Abstract

This article aims to illuminate the background and intention of Hume's Dialogues. It argues that ‘Cleanthes’ is significantly modeled after Butler's thought by showing the connection between Part IX of the Dialogues and Butler's early correspondence with Clarke regarding the concepts of probability and conceivability. This clarifies Philo's ‘reversal’ in Part XII. Butler's theory of probability provides a clue to Hume's moderate skepticism which stops short of endorsing atheism. Hume presents a philosophical narrative in which readers are invited to entertain philosophical thinking on natural theology as a preliminary to identifying ‘true’ religion rather than affirming atheism.