Outline of Butler's Arguments

  • Motivation and Methods
    • Virtue and Piety
    • The Appeal to Probability

  • Natural Religion
    • There is a God
      • Butler's "assumption" that God Exists
      • Butler on Clarke's Proof in the Letters
      • Additional Proofs Mentioned by Butler
    • There is a Future Life
      • Butler introduces the issue of a future life in I.i.1.
      • The Presumptive Case for the Expectation
        • By appeal to growth (I.i.2)
        • By appeal to continuance (I.i.3)
        • Attempts to defeat the presumption (I.i.4-5)
        • Summary (I.i.6)
      • Imagination as the Basis of Prejudice (I.i.7)
      • The Case Against Denial of the Expectation
        • Prejudice that the soul is composite (I.i.8)
        • Prejudice that we are our gross bodies (I.i.9-15)
        • Prejudice of implications for brutes (I.i.16)
        • Prejudice of bodily dependence (I.i.17-20)
        • Prejudice of implications for vegetables (I.i.21)
      • Summary (I.i.22)
      • On the Naturalism of Expectation (I.i.23)
      • Rejection of the Appeal to Curiosity (I.i.24)
      • The Problem of Personal Identity (Diss. I)
    • Nature is a Moral System
      • The General Method of Divine Administration (I.ii)
      • The Divine Administration is a Moral System (I.iii)
    • Human Nature Adapted to Virtue (Fifteen Sermons)
      • Development of Butler's Ethics (Preface, Diss. II)
      • Refutations
        • Of Shaftesbury (Preface 26-30)
        • Of Hobbes (S I)
        • Of Utilitarianism (Diss. II)
      • The Superior Principles of Self-Love, Benevolence and Conscience (S I, II, III, XI, XII)
      • Some Particular Passions
        • Talking (S IV)
        • Compassion (S V, VI)
        • Resentment and Forgiveness (S VIII, IX)
        • Love of God (S XIII, XIV)
      • Some Cognitive Incapacities
        • Self-Deception (S VII, X)
        • Human Ignorance (S XV)
    • Objections to the Moral System of Nature
      • The Doctrine of Necessity (I.vi)
      • The Problem of Evil (I.vii)

  • Revealed Religion
    • Objections to the Alleged Christian Revelation
      • Natural religion is sufficient. (II.i)
      • Miracles are impossible. (II.ii)
      • Revelation is contrary to expectation. (II.iii)
      • Evil remains unexplained. (II.iv)
      • A mediator is needless. (II.v)
      • Christianity lacks universality. (II.vi)
    • The Particular Evidences for Revelation
      • Miracles (II.vii.4-19)
      • Prophecy (II.vii.20-26)
      • The Proper Weighing of this Evidence (II.vii.27)
      • The Cumulative Case (II.vii.28-44)
    • Summation (II.vii.45)
      • There is no presumption against a revelation as miraculous.
      • The general scheme of Christianity and the principal parts of it are conformable to the experienced constitution of things, and the whole is perfectly credible.
      • The positive evidence cannot be destroyed, even if it can be lessened.
    • Rebuttal Arguments
      • Analogy with natural religion fails to clear difficulties (II.viii.4-5)
      • Analogy with worldly pursuits fails to clear difficulties (II.viii.6-7)
      • Analogy with natural providence fails to clear difficulties (II.viii.8)
      • The mind is left unsatisfied (II.viii.9)
      • The doubtful evidence for religion is insufficient to warrant giving up present interests and pleasures. (II.viii.10)
      • The whole argument is ad hominem (II.viii.11)
    • The force of the whole argument (II.viii.12-13)
 
  • Institutional Religion
    • The Benevolent Institutions
      • Missions (6S I)
      • Charities (6S II, IV, VI)
    • The State
      • Liberty (6S III)
      • The Constitution (6S V)
    • The Church ("Durham Charge")