Lecture 12: Miracles, cont.

Question 1

Why did Aquinas believe miracles could only come from God?

Answer 1

Because miracles occur outside the whole of created order, and everything else can only act according to its nature.

Question 2

Who believed miracles could only come from God?

Answer 2

Aquinas

Question 3

Why did Locke believe miracles as recorded in the Bible were important?

Answer 3

They are signs of authenticity for the Bible.

Question 4

Give a counterexample of Hume’s dismissal of miracles from evidence.

Answer 4

Someone living in the tropics should reject the idea of water becoming solid and freezing.

Question 5

Describe Hume’s rejection of miracles on epistemic grounds.

Answer 5

Science is always under revision as better explanations become available, so one cannot know if a law of nature has been violated, because an explanation may become available.

Question 6

How did Hume reject miracles on grounds of evidence?

Answer 6

Establishing a miracle requires sufficient evidence through a number of educated and high integrity witnesses, and there is never enough evidence.

Question 7

Describe Hume’s rejection of miracles on probablistic grounds.

Answer 7

Miracles are violations of the law of nature. Laws of nature have the highest degree of probability, and miracles the lowest. Therefore, if one is to accept what is most probable and reject what’s least probable, miracles should always be rejected.

Question 8

Give two criticisms of Locke’s beliefs towards the importance of miracles.

Answer 8

• It is self-referential (believe the Bible because the Bible says)
• Miracles could have been added later

Question 9

Give two criticisms Hume’s dismissal of miracles from probability.

Answer 9

• What seems improbabilistic now may change in the future (e.g. walking on the moon)
• Sometimes probability changes with information (e.g. 2 hour warning of 100 year flood vs general probability)

Question 10

Give two criticisms of Hume’s dismissal of miracles from evidence.

Answer 10

The quantity and quality of witnesses.

Question 11

Define epistemic grounds.

Answer 11

Criteria for sufficient knowledge

Question 12

Give two criticisms of Hume’s dismissal of miracles from epistemic grounds.

Answer 12

• Presupposes naturalistic worldview

- Some parts of nature can be measured but not explained