H/UME\'s former Philosophical productions. --
Every remarkable trait and feature of those productions may
be traced in the parts of the Dialogue assigned to P/HILO\.2
Other critics attempted to expose a deeper concealment on
Hume's part. Joseph Milner in his Gibbon's account of
Christianity considered argues that Hume is insincere when
pronouncing Cleanthes the victor of the debate:
In his dialogues concerning natural religion, we have the
substance of all his sceptical essays; and notwithstanding
his declaration at the close in favour of Cleanthes, the
natural religionist, it is evident from the whole tenour of
the book, and still more so from the entire scepticism of
his former publications, that Philo is his favourite.
Sincerity constitutes no part of a philosopher's virtue.
He continues that Hume's aim is to "reduce Polytheism, Spinozism,
Christianity, and all sorts of views of the divinity to the same
level of evidence, or rather of no evidence; and on the ruin of
all, to establish his horrible universal scepticism."3
Perhaps the most penetrating analysis of Philo was given by
John Ogilvie in his Inquiry into the causes of the infidelity and
scepticism of the times. Like his contemporaries, Ogilvie argues
that Philo is Hume's mouthpiece.4 However, Ogilvie charges
further that even Philo's concessions cannot be taken at face
value:
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