45617
Hume Against Miracles
- 'A wise man proportions his belief according to the
evidence'
- Hume, Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding
- Hume, Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding
- Empiricist and Sceptic
- Our knowledge of the world comes
from obvservations based on our
senses
- Argued however that we cannot reason accurately beyond what we see and hear
- We are forced to make assumptions
- We are forced to make assumptions
- Argued however that we cannot reason accurately beyond what we see and hear
- Our knowledge of the world comes
from obvservations based on our
senses
- Theoretical Case Against Miracles
- Appears to suggest that
miracles are impossible
- Laws of Nature that we
experience are uniform and
constant
- We assume that these laws will not change and
have always been constant
- Notes that we establish cause and effect relationships
based on our experience of the world
- Ideas on induction
- Makes predictions about what will
happen in similar cases in future
- Each experience we have of
normal events seems to make
miracles less likely
- Ideas on induction
- Notes that we establish cause and effect relationships
based on our experience of the world
- We assume that these laws will not change and
have always been constant
- Laws of Nature that we
experience are uniform and
constant
- Faced with this, Hume suggests that the only evidence
available to us is the testimonies and accounts of others
- We ought only to believe a miracle story if it would be more
incredible that all witnesses were mistaken of the event
- Does not believe in chance or in
supernatural intervention
- Appeals for us to go with the evidence and consider
which state of affairs is more probable
- A miracle or a more ordinary explanation
- A miracle or a more ordinary explanation
- Appeals for us to go with the evidence and consider
which state of affairs is more probable
- Does not believe in chance or in
supernatural intervention
- We ought only to believe a miracle story if it would be more
incredible that all witnesses were mistaken of the event
- Appears to suggest that
miracles are impossible
- Practical Argument Against Miracles
- Gave four practical arguments
against miracles; regardless of
whether they can be theoretically
possible
- 1.
- Miracles do not
generally have
many
sane/educated
witnesses
- Miracles do not
generally have
many
sane/educated
witnesses
- 2.
- Psychological;
natural interest in
the unusual;
exploited by
religious people
- Psychological;
natural interest in
the unusual;
exploited by
religious people
- 3.
- 'Ignorant and
Barbarous
nations that
miracles are
recorded in
- 'Ignorant and
Barbarous
nations that
miracles are
recorded in
- 4.
- Almost all religions
have miracle
stories; they can't
all be right
- Almost all religions
have miracle
stories; they can't
all be right
- 1.
- Gave four practical arguments
against miracles; regardless of
whether they can be theoretically
possible
- Responses to Hume
- Appeal to the laws of
nature is inconsistent with
his own writings
- He suggests our idea of scientific laws may be
psychological habit based on what we repeatedly
see
- Observed that there was no
good reason to expect the sun to
rise in the morning, yet it does
- Practical argument can be seen as sweeping
generalisations
- Unclear how many witnesses
are sufficient
- Fails to define 'ignorant and barbarous nations'
- However, some miracles are claimed in
modern western societies
- However, some miracles are claimed in
modern western societies
- Fails to define 'ignorant and barbarous nations'
- Unclear how many witnesses
are sufficient
- He suggests our idea of scientific laws may be
psychological habit based on what we repeatedly
see
- Swinburne
- Noted that testimonies may
not be the only evidence
available
- Physical traces of events would count as empirical evidence
- Noted that testimonies may
not be the only evidence
available
- Appeal to the laws of
nature is inconsistent with
his own writings
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