Philosophy Seminar Series: Michael Jacovides "Hume and the Rotting Turnip"

Friday, February 10, 2023 1:30 PM to 2:45 PM EST
Online Location, Zoom Meeting Room

GMU Philosophy Seminar Series 2022-2023

Speaker: Michael Jacovides (Purdue University) 

Title: Hume and the Rotting Turnip

Zoom link: https://go.gmu.edu/jacovides

Abstract: In Part 12 of the Dialogues, Hume argues that since everything is at least a little like everything else, the atheist must concede that the source of order is at least remotely like a human intellect, even if this is something like a rotting turnip. This passage provides the main argument for dismissing Hume’s apparent avowals of theism, since Philo’s assertions are so loose as to let in a rotting turnip. The right reading of the passage is more interesting. The turnip is rotting not in order to make fun of the argument from design, but in order to make fun of d’Holbach's and Diderot's accounts of the origin of life, accounts that generalized dramatically from John Needham’s observations of nematodes in rotting wheat.

Though Seminar Series talks are oriented to faculty and grad students, this is a space where all who are interested in the topic are welcome and encouraged to attend. Any questions about the event should be directed to the colloquium committee organizer Dan Nicholson (dnicho@gmu.edu).