Miracles - Hume and Wiles

Hume views miracles as...

• realist

• anti-realist

• non-cognitive

• factual

For Hume, a miracle is, "a ________________ of a law of nature..."

• transgression

• violation

• fixing

• realisation

"...by a particular _________________________."

• volition of the deity."

• volatile of the deity."

• voluntary of the deity."

• vicarious of the deity."

For Hume, the laws of a nature are...

• fixed

• variable

• descriptive

• non-existent

What kinds of 'miracles' would Hume not count as miracles?

• coincidence miracles (luck)

• an event that breaks the laws of nature

• an event that is difficult to explain

Hume said: "Nothing is esteemed a miracle, if it ever happens the __________ course of nature."

• common

• normal

• everyday

• coincidental

A key quote from Hume is: "A wise man proportions... "

• his belief to the evidence."

• his faith to the facts."

• his beliefs to the proof."

• his laws to nature."

This means that...

• you should believe something more if there is more evidence

• you should believe what you are told

• you should believe things which are personally important to you

• you should only believe things which have concrete proof

Hume criticises miracles because of the issue of probability. What is this issue?

• The probability of the laws of nature being broken is always less than a miracle not happening

• The probability of a miracle happening is high because they can be coincidences

• A miracle can only be probable if there's a group of witnesses

Hume concludes: "no human ________________ can have such force as to prove a miracle"

• testimony

• evidence

• miracle

• action