Hume

• "A wise man proportions his beliefs to his evidence"- David Hume
• Hume had no issue and believed that the claims put forward in the Bible fit the criteria of a miracle, however he was sceptical that they happened
• Realism

  • scientific theories give us true descriptions of the world
  • They give us knowledge of things that exist, but we cannot observe
  • The world exists as it does regardless of what we think
  • A realist sees miracles as real events brought about by God
• Scientific realists

  • The best scientific theories give us true descriptions of the world
  • The world is 'mind-independent', meaning it exists the way it does regardless of what we think
• Mind-independent- something exists the way it does, regardless of what we think or believe to be true
• The Catholic Tradition

  • Miracles invite a belief in God and strengthen faith
  • Satisfy people's curiosity for magic or to abolish evil
• Congregation for the causes of saints

  • Investigates accounts of miracles performed by those who are considered for canonisation
  • Vatican ascribes sainthood to people who have been proven to perform miracles after they've died
• "A miracle is a transgression of a law of nature. By a particular volition by a deity- or some invisible agent"- David Hume
• "No human testimony can have such force as to prove a miracle"- David Hume
• Many Christians accept Hume's definition of a miracle however, unlike him, they'd believe that they can occur