Here's a story by Louise Gray that appeared in The Scotsman a few weeks ago. It totally made me laugh. Especially considering what Hume thought about miracles.
Clara
The big toe of Hume's statue has become a magnet for students
HE WAS a passionate defender of rationality and a scourge of the superstitious. Yet more than two centuries after his death, a statue of David Hume has become a lucky charm for those who hope some of the great philosopher's wisdom will rub off on them.
The prominent big toe of the 9ft statue, which stands on a 15ft plinth outside the High Court building at the top of the High Street in Edinburgh, has become a touchstone for philosophy students and for children hoping to gain knowledge.
The sculptor Sandy Stoddart predicted the practice would become an "ancient tradition".
He said philosophy students had been known to touch the statue for knowledge since it went up in 1997, but it was only recently that tourists and children had been doing the same.
Mr Stoddart appeared both flattered and amused, pointing out that there were statues in the Vatican in Rome that no longer had any toes because they had been worn away by the adoration of the multitude.
However, he did not think David Hume, "the scourge of superstition and religiosity", would approve of having his toe rubbed for luck.
"The great thing is that it's so ironic that David Hume, who is the patron saint of all the atheists, should have his toe adored," he said.
Just like spitting on the nearby Heart of the Midlothian for luck, Mr Stoddart believes the action will be passed down the generations. "We are seeing the birth of an ancient tradition with this toe rubbing," he said. "What we are seeing is the future - they will be doing this 100 years from now."
Mr Stoddart said it could be interpreted as a vacuous tourist activity, but those doing the rubbing were taking the first step on the road to the aesthetic life.
"The more people are seen to do that kind of thing, the more cultivated and cultured they become," he ventured.
However, ultimately he would prefer passers-by to appreciate the statue for its art rather than focusing on what it could do for them. "What we really want in Scotland is not toe-rubbing imposed by fascination; what we want is somebody to take a dispassionate and cultivated look at the statue," he said.
Chris Corry, 19, a second-year student at Edinburgh University, touched the statue for luck before his exams last term.
"I didn't work very hard, so maybe it [touching Hume's toe] had something to do with it," said Mr Corry, who duly passed all his subjects.
Edinburgh lawyer Donald Findlay, QC, said lawyers are more likely to "touch someone for money rather than touch a toe for luck", and that people going to the High Court to be tried are more likely to touch the toe if they can't steal it.
As for the philosophy students, he suggested that "rather than touching the toe of David Hume, they would be better off reading his books".
HIS PRONOUNCEMENTS
On religion: "Generally speaking, the errors in religion are dangerous; those in philosophy only ridiculous."
On the nature of government: "Nothing is more surprising than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few."
On liberty: "It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once."
On the true quality of beauty: "Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them."
On happiness: "When we reflect on the shortness and uncertainty of life, how despicable seem all our pursuits of happiness."
On leading a good life: "The sweetest and most inoffensive path of life leads through the avenues of science and learning; and whoever can either remove any obstruction in this way, or open up any new prospect, ought, so far, to be esteemed a benefactor to mankind."
On friends: "Truth springs from argument amongst friends."
On morality: "The rules of morality are not the conclusion of our reason."
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