Philo's View on Religion
In part X, of Hume's book Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Demea and Philo converse over the point of religion. Demea, a dogmatist, states that human beings are such wretched creatures. Philo, being a skeptic, can always agree; he claims that the best and indeed the only method of bringing everyone to a due sense of religion is by just representations of the misery and wickedness of men. I can, myself, always agree with Philo; as Philo is as liberal as he is I think he makes a very logical point of a method, concerning religion.
According to Philo's statement of the best method by representation, I think Hume means that the only way to make everyone realize and understand religion on the same level is by showing them. He says that you must show them by representations of the misery and wickedness that comes with human existence. I think Hume is saying that, according to Demea, by showing people their awful retched ways, the unhappiness of man, the general corruptions of nature, and the unsatisfactory enjoyment of pleasures you might be able to not only show them but make them feel it, more intimately and sensibly. If by that way you can do so then they will have a better sense and feeling of how this human experience really is. Demea then replies, "and who can doubt of what all men declare from their own immediate feelings and experience?'.
I do believe that Philo's proclamation of using just representations to bring everyone to an equivalent sense of religion is accurate. In the very beginning of part X Demea states that every man shall know within himself some form of religion. I believe his statement that every man knows from his consciousness of his misery instead ...