Reject Scriptures for Science

[ancient_paztriot]

Hayagriva dasa: Hume is famous for his skepticism. He rejected revealed scriptures and looked toward science instead.

 

Srila Prabhupada: If he preaches skepticism, why should we believe his words? If he does not believe the statements of others, why should others accept his statements?

 

Syamasundara dasa: Hume postulates three laws whereby perceptions are associated or connected with one another. First, according to his principle of resemblance, a pictue, for instance, makes us think of the original. Secondly, according to the principle of contiguiry, if I mention a room in this building, I think of other rooms also. Third, according to the principle of cause and effect, if I think of a wound, I automatically think of pain. thus he suggest that our whole being consists of such a stream of ideas and associations, which follow one another perpetually.

 

Srila Prabhupada: This is the nature of the relative world. We cannot understand what a father is without understanding what a son is. We cannot conceive of a husband without a wife.

 

Syamasundara dasa: Hume denies the existence of an ultimate reality, asserting that only the phenomena of the senses exists.

 

Srila Prabhupada: But where do these phenomena come from? If htere are phenomena, there must be noumena.

 

Syamasundara dasa: Hume suggests that it is possible that the world has existed since eternity and that therefore no first cause is required.

 

Srila Prabhupada: But what about the manifestation of past, present, and future? Why does death take place if there is no cause?

 

Syamasundara dasa: The body is like a machine which is born and dies.

 

Srila Prabhupada: When you say machine, you are automatically presuppose the beginning of the machine. In other words, the machine must be made by someone.

 

Syamasundara dasa: The machines may be like the seasons. They may come and go.

 

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, they may come and go, and then come again, but what is the meaning of this?

 

Syamasundara dasa: They may be eternally existing facts without cause or creator. Hume says that we may believe in a creator if we like, but this is based on mere probability, not knowledge. We may think as we like.

 

Srila Prabhupada: Well, he goes on talking as he likes. In other words, you can speak all kinds of nonsense, and I can too. You are right, and I am right, and everything is right.