Atheism and naturalism versus Humean empiricism and skepticism
An atheist has settled the question of God with “no”. A Humean doubts how far any claim can be known, God included. The two are easy to confuse because one person often holds both.
What they share
Both ask for good reasons before believing in God, and both reject the standard arguments that try to prove God exists. Hume's criticisms of those arguments are still used by atheists.
Where they differ
- How firm the answer on God is. Atheism answers one question with “no”: there is no God. Hume is best described as a skeptic about religion. He takes the arguments for God apart, but scholars still disagree about whether he went as far as saying there is no God.
- How far the view reaches. Atheism is one answer to one question, and should not be mixed up with a bigger worldview such as naturalism. Hume's empiricism is a whole account of knowledge: every idea comes from experience, and reason has limits.
- Certainty. Hume holds a mild skepticism. Careful thinkers, he says, should expect reason to fall short and keep their confidence modest. Atheism, as a view about God, does not say how certain anything is.
A question that separates them
- Is there a God who cares about us? “There is no God who cares about us” against “There is a God who cares”. An atheist takes the first. Hume's own position is left open.
- How certain can we be? “Certainty is rare” against “Some things are certain”. The first is Hume's. Atheism takes no position on it.
A person who answers “no God” and also “certainty is rare” lands between the two, which is a fair place to be. Hume himself is not called an atheist here, because scholars still argue about his position.
Written by epchē in our own words, and checked against independent sources on 3 October 2026. The sources are listed below.
Read each on its own
Sources we used
- Atheism and Agnosticism · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read on 3 October 2026
- Atheism · Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read on 3 October 2026
- Hume on Religion · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read on 3 October 2026
- David Hume · Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read on 3 October 2026