Hume's Abject Failure: The Argument Against MiraclesOxford University Press, 2000 M11 23 - 232 pages This vital study offers a new interpretation of Hume's famous "Of Miracles," which notoriously argues against the possibility of miracles. By situating Hume's popular argument in the context of the eighteenth-century debate on miracles, Earman shows Hume's argument to be largely unoriginal and chiefly without merit where it is original. Yet Earman constructively conceives how progress can be made on the issues that Hume's essay so provocatively posed about the ability of eyewitness testimony to establish the credibility of marvelous and miraculous events. |
Contents
The Puzzles of Humes Definitions of Miracle 5 Conceptions of Miracles | |
What a Miracle Is for Hume 7 The EighteenthCentury Debate on Miracles | |
The Structure of Humes Essay | |
Fall Back Positions for Hume | |
Probabilifying Religious Doctrines | |
Humes Contrary Miracles Argument | |
Conclusion | |
Appendix on Probability | |
Notes | |
Works Cited | |
Additional Bibliography | |
Humes Straight Rule of Induction and His Proof against Miracles | |
Hume Bayes and Price | |
Bayes and Bayesianism | |
The BayesPrice Rejection of Humes Straight Rule | |
Humes Stultification of Scientific Inquiry | |
The Indian Prince | |
Humes Maxim | |
What Is Humes Thesis? | |
Humes Diminution Principle | |
Multiple Witnessing 19 More Multiple Witnessing | |
What Is Right about Humes Position | |
John Locke An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Book | |
Chapter 6 Of Miracles | |
Samuel Clarke A Discourse Concerning the Unalterable | |
of Jesus | |
the Tryal of the Witnesses | |
Section 10 Of Miracles | |
Dissertation IV On the Importance of Christianity and | |
Anonymous George Hooper? A Calculation of the Credibility | |
Chapter 10 On Humes Argument against Miracles | |
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Common terms and phrases
admit Annet appear asserted assurance attested Bayes Bayesian believe causes certainty Christian circumstances concerning conclusion conditional probability confirmation consequently contradiction contrary course of nature David Hume dead deceived degrees of belief diminution divine doctrine doubt drawn Edition effect establish the credibility event evidence of testimony examined extraordinary eyewitness testimony fact falsehood force give God’s greater happen Henry Home human testimony Hume’s argument Hume’s essay Hume’s Maxim hypothesis impossible improbability independent witnesses Indian prince inductive inductive reasoning instance JANSENIST judge laws of nature less Locke’s matter men’s never observed occurrence opinion particular Peter Annet Philosophical possible posterior probability Price principle prior probability probability axioms proof prove question reason reject religious miracles render Resurrection of Jesus revelation Richard Price Scripture sense story straight rule sufficient superior suppose theism things transubstantiation Treatise true truth uniform experience veracity violation white ball Woolston