Hume on Miracles

A detailed Summary of Hume on Miracles

When asked the question whether it is reasonable to believe that a miracle has occurred based on the testimony of other people, David Hume will always answer no. This paper will discuss why Hume feels it is unreasonable to believe in the occurrence of a miracle based on the testimony of others. Then, I will discuss and support reasons for believing in miracles using circumstances surrounding the testimony and the context of the testimony.

"A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature; and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws, the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined" (710). Hume argues that it is unreasonable to believe in the occurrence of a miracle based on the testimony of others because neither the reliability of laws of nature nor the reliability of human testimony is relations of ideas, or 100% certain. He is not claiming that a miracle could not take place because this would contradict the Matters of Fact argument. God is omnipotent and can, therefore, suspend the laws of nature. However, he is claiming that people should be skeptical about believing the testimony of others because of the poss

ony lies in whether "it be more probable that this person should either deceive or be deceived, or that the fact, which he relates, should really have happened" (710). When he weighs them against each other, he determines which would be the greater miracle and then rejects it. If it is more miraculous that the testimony is untrue than the actual miracle, then the possibility of Hume believing the testimony is greater.

"But it is a miracle, that a dead man should come to life; because that has never been observed, in any age or country" (710). Hume contradicts himself here by saying that it "has never been observed" because in his Matters of Fact argument, he says that we are not justified in using our experiences to establish truths about the future. Perhaps he has never seen a dead man come to life, but it is possible that someone somewhere else has witnessed this occurrence. There are also people who witness a miracle, but do not give a testimony. In John 12:37-50, the Jewish leaders who witnessed miracles performed by Jesus were afraid to admit to the miracles occurring for fear of being ex-communicated (John 9:22). It is possible that "secret believers" such as these exist all over the world. They may be afraid to admit to the miracles because people may think them to be irrational. Perhaps in a world consisting of 100 people where 50 are believers in miracles and 50 are un!

believers, the unbelievers actually believe, but do so in secret. So, in actuality, it is possible that everyone believes in miracles.

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Hume concludes his argument by saying that "mere reason is insufficient to convince [Christians] of its veracity: And whoever is moved by Faith to assent to it, is conscious of a continued miracle in his own person, which subverts all the principles of his understanding, and gives him a determination to believe what is most contrary to custom and experience" (716). In other words, people whose beliefs are based on faith will not be convinced by Hume's argument on miracles. If someone has experienced a miracle or witnessed a miraculous event in their individual lives and they believe that it was because of God, it makes the disciples testimony of miracles more credible to that person. The pe

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Approximate Word count = 1563
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History