Russel vs Hume | INFJ Forum

Russel vs Hume

Barnabas

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Oct 7, 2009
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Bertrand Russel argued that the belief in the Abrahamic God is like believing that a teacup revolves around the earth.

Hume argued that agaisnt the watchmaker theory based on that the theory was a inccorect analogy as the universe and a watch are not similar.

could it then be asserted that Russel's teacup argument is also a inccorect analogy as the abrahamic God is not like a teacup?
 
The teacup came to me in a dream and told me to spill the blood of the innocent.
 
I doubt that Russel intended for that argument to be taken literally and was instead using the metaphor (simile) to state his opinion that belief in the Abrahamic God is absurd. Russel had a strict Catholic upbringing, and there is definitely some personal animosity mixed in with what he has to say on the subject.

Hume, on the other hand, probably meant for his statement to be taken seriously. Do you know where he made that argument? (I don't know, but I want to).
 
I read Hume's An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding, but I don't remember it being in that. Any idea where he said it?
 
I believe you're making a false parallel.

Abrahamic god::Celestial teacup =/= Watch::Universe.

The former analogy compares the lack of empirical evidence in proving the existence of either. The latter contrasts the organized functionalism of a watch with the flawed structure of the universe.
 
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I would think that is an incorrect comparison, which probably means you could make the statement for a fallacy, if you really wanted to... i see what your thinking though i think