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Single Idea 7636

[filed under theme 28. God / B. Proving God / 3. Proofs of Evidence / e. Miracles ]

Full Idea

In Hume's argument against miracles, how can it be more rational to believe the laws than the miracles, if the laws themselves are not based on reason?

Gist of Idea

It can't be more rational to believe in natural laws than miracles if the laws are not rational

Source

comment on David Hume (Of Miracles [1748]) by Atif Ishaq - talk

A Reaction

A very nice question. Hume never presents his argument with such an overt reliance on reason. But if the argument says you are in the 'habit' of expecting no anomalies in the laws, what is to prevent you changing the habit of a lifetime?

The 13 ideas with the same theme [seeing unnatural events as proof of God's existence]:

20716 False prophets will perform wonders to deceive even the elect [Mark]
5974 People report seeing through rocks, or over the horizon, or impossibly small works [Plutarch]
7902 The Buddha made flowers float in the air, to impress people, and make them listen [Mahavastu]
4827 Priests reject as heretics anyone who tries to understand miracles in a natural way [Spinoza]
4868 Trying to prove God's existence through miracles is proving the obscure by the more obscure [Spinoza]
12571 If miracles aim at producing belief, it is plausible that their events are very unusual [Locke]
5030 Miracles are extraordinary operations by God, but are nevertheless part of his design [Leibniz]
12909 Everything, even miracles, belongs to order [Leibniz]
12784 Allow no more miracles than are necessary [Leibniz]
2227 A miracle violates laws which have been established by continuous unchanging experience, so should be ignored [Hume]
2228 All experience must be against a supposed miracle, or it wouldn't be called 'a miracle' [Hume]
2229 To establish a miracle the falseness of the evidence must be a greater miracle than the claimed miraculous event [Hume]
7636 It can't be more rational to believe in natural laws than miracles if the laws are not rational [Ishaq on Hume]