particular phenomenon" (Hume 57). That argues against the power of analogy and questions the power of very reason to account for the vicissitudes of real-world experience. To put it another way, the assertion of God's existence by inference from particular cases is too great a leap of logic, given the evidence used to inform the inference. Although various arguments that Philo makes are used to refute Cleanthes, this insight is the foundation of Philo's assertion that Cleanthes's argument, either in whole or in part, is too weak to prove God's existence. The other arguments develop from it.
Philo also cites the "unexpected consequences" (Hume 57) of rationalizing a grand design, only to be thwarted when theories of order are not con
...