David Hume on miracles

1
David Hume on miracles

• The modern background David Hume (Scottish,
  1711-1776) on miracles (An Inquiry Concerning
  Human Understanding, 1748)
• Biographical notes

2
David Hume on miracles

• Humes famous df. a miracle is a violation of
  the laws of nature brought about by the volition
  of a Deity.
• Humes three arguments against the existence of
  miracles

3
David Hume on miracles

• 1. The nature of nature -- the uniformity of
  nature
• 2. Problems with testimony
• Sufficient number of persons
• The lack of good sense, education, and learning
  of those testifying to miracles

4
David Hume on miracles

• Testimony is from those living in ignorant and
  barbarous nations, and not from those living in
  a celebrated part of the world (a
  consider-the-source type argument)
• There is a propensity in humankind toward stories
  about the marvelous, unusual strange
• Are many instances of forged miracles

5
David Hume on miracles

• General conclusion to the testimony arguments
  Testimony when weighed against our experience
  loses.

6
David Hume on miracles

• 3. A final argument Religious pluralism truth

7
David Hume on miracles

• Note Humes assumption about the foundational
  role of miracles. We may establish it as a
  maxim that no human testimony can have such force
  as to prove a miracle, and make it a just
  foundation for any such system of religion.

8
David Hume on miracles

• Critical evaluation of Humes arguments
• 1. The foundational assumption
• 2. Humes skepticism about testimony
• Persons from ignorant barbarous nations

9
David Hume on miracles

• 3. Humes dilemma testimony or nature . . . a
  false dilemma?
• 4. Does his definition of miracles have anything
  to do with the biblical notion of miracles?