Hume

	In explaining Hume’s critique of the belief in miracles, 
we must first understand the definition of a miracle.  The 
Webster Dictionary defines a miracle as: a supernatural event 
regarded as to define action, one of the acts worked by Christ 
which revealed his divinity an extremely remarkable 
achievement or event, an unexpected piece of luck.  Therefore, 
a miracle is based on one’s perception of past experiences, 
what everyone sees.  It is based on a individuals own reality, 
and the faith in which he/she believes in, it is based on 
interior events such as what we are taught, and exterior 
events, such as what we hear or see first hand.
When studying Hume’s view of a miracle, he interprets or 
defines a miracle as such; a miracle is a violation of the 
laws of nature, an event which is not normal to most of 
mankind.  Hume explains this point brilliantly when he states, 
“Nothing is esteemed a miracle, if it has ever happened in the 
common course of nature.  It is no miracle that a man 
seemingly in good health should die on a sudden.” (Hume p.888)  
Hume states that this death is quite unusual, however it 
seemed to happen naturally.   He could only define it as a 
true miracle if this dead man were to come back to life.  This 
would be a miraculous event because such an experience has not 
yet been commonly observed.  In which case, his philosophical 
view of a miracle would be true.
Hume critiques and discredits the belief in a miracle 
merely because it goes against the laws of nature.  Hume 
defines the laws of nature to be what has been “uniformly” 
observed by mankind, such as the laws of identity and gravity.  
He views society as being far to liberal in what they consider 
to be a miracle.  He gives the reader four ideas to support 
his philosophy in defining a true miracle, or the belief in a 
miracle. These points leads us to believe that there has never 
been a miraculous event established.
Hume’s first reason in contradicting a miracle is, in all 
of history there has not been a miraculous event with a 
sufficient number of witnesses.  He questions the integrity of 
the men and the reputation in which they hold in society.  If 
their reputation holds great integrity, then and only then can 
we have full assurance in the testimony of men.  Hume is 
constantly asking throughout the passage questions to support 
proof for a miracle.  He asks questions such as this; Who is 
qualified? Who has the authority to say who qualifies? As he 
asks these questions we can see there are no real answers, in 
which case, it tends to break the validity of the witnesses to 
the miracle.
Hume’s second reason in contradicting the validity of a 
miracle is that he views all of our beliefs, or what we choose 
to accept, or not accept through past experience and what 
history dictates to us.  Furthermore, he tends to discredit an 
individual by playing on a human beings consciousness or sense 
of reality.  An example is; using words such as, the 
individuals need for “excitement” and “wonder” arising from 
miracles.  Even the individual who can not enjoy the pleasure 
immediately will still believe in a miracle, regardless of the 
possible validity of the miracle.  With this, it leads the 
individual to feel a sense of belonging and a sense of pride. 
These individuals tend to be the followers within society.  
These individuals will tend to believe faster than the leaders 
in the society.  With no regard to the miracles validity, 
whether it is true or false, or second hand information.  
Miracles lead to such strong temptations, that we as 
individuals tend to lose sense of our own belief of fantasy 
and reality.  As individuals we tend to believe to find 
attention, and to gossip of the unknown.  Through emotions and 
behavior Hume tends to believe there has been many forged 
miracles, regardless if the information is somewhat valid or 
not.  
His third reason in discrediting the belief in a miracle 
is testimony versus reality.  Hume states, “It forms a strong 
presumption against all supernatural and miraculous events, 
that they are observed chiefly to abound among ignorant and 
barbarous ancestors; or if civilized people has ever given 
admission to any of them, that people will be found to have 
received them from these barbarous ancestors, who transmitted 
them with that inviolable sanction and authority, which always 
attend perceived opinions.” (Hume p.891)  In any case many of 
the miraculous events which happened in past history would not 
be considered a miracle in today’s world, or at any other time 
in history.  The reality most people believed at that period, 
as a result can be considered lies or exaggerations.  Hume 
discredits the miracle as to the time period in which the 
miracle is taking place, the mentality, or the reality of 
individuals at that given time.  Hume suggests that during 
certain times in history we are told of miraculous accounts of 
travelers.  “Because we as individuals love to wonder, there 
is an end to common sense, and human testimony, in these 
circumstances, loses all pretensions to authority.” (Hume 
p.890)
The final point Hume gives to discredit the validity of a 
miracle is that there must be a number of witnesses to 
validate the miracle.  “So that not only the miracle destroys 
the credit of testimony, but the testimony destroys itself.” 
(Hume p.892).  This basically means that the witnesses must 
all give the exact same testimony of the facts of the event.
Hume finds difficulty in the belief or integrity of any 
individual, and the difficulty of detecting falsehood in any 
private or even public place in history.  “Where it is said to 
happen much more when the scene is removed to ever so small a 
distance.”  (Hume p.892)  A court of justice with accuracy and 
judgment may find themselves often distinguishing between true 
and false. If it is trusted to society through debate, rumors, 
and mans passion
it tends to be difficult to trust the validity of the miracle.
Throughout the rest of the readings Hume states a few 
events which many believe are miracles.  He discredits many 
these miracles through his critiques.  I have chosen to 
illustrate two “so-called” miracles from the New American 
Bible and to show how Hume would view these miracles.  The 
stories are of Noah’s Ark and The Burning Bush.
The story of Noah’s Ark took place when the Lord began to 
realize how great mans wickedness on earth had become.  He 
began to regret the fact that he had created man on earth.  
The lord decided the only way to rid the wickedness would be 
to destroy all men, and all living creatures living on the 
earth.  The only men in which he would not destroy were to be 
Noah, his sons, Noah’s wife and his sons wives.  He also would 
save a pair of animals. Of each species.   The rest were to 
perish from the earth.  He chose Noah to be the favor and 
carry out the task.  The Lord requested Noah to build a ark 
explained exactly how it was to be made.  Noah spent six 
hundred years of his life building the ark in which God 
insisted upon.  When the ark was finally complete The Lord 
told Noah it was time to gather the selected few the floods 
were about to come.  These floods lasted forty days and forty 
nights.  The floods wiped out all living creatures on earth, 
except all on the ark.  In the six hundred and first year of 
Noah’s life the floods stopped and the earth began to dry.  
Noah then built an alter to the Lord and choosing from every 
clean animal he offered holocaust on the alter.  As God states 
“Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the 
desires of man’s heart are evil from the start; nor will I 
ever strike down all living beings, as I have done.”
     In deciding upon whether this is a valid miracle in 
Hume’s opinion of miracles I believe he would consider it to 
be a miracle but, would have a hard time validating the 
testimony of it.  The reasons in which he would criticize the 
validity with in the testimony would be as follows.  The 
testimony versus the reality.  To further support the theory 
he would argue the time period in which the miracle had taken 
place. And would find it difficult to believe with out a 
reasonable doubt.  There is a question to whether it could be 
lies or exaggerations.  Furthermore, it could not possibly be 
a validated miracle considering the amount of men in which 
witnessed the event.  As well a s questioning the integrity of 
the men.  Although this miracle was a act of God we can still 
question the validity of our ancestors or God for that matter.  
Hume would not be satisfied not only with the integrity of the 
individuals but the amount of witnesses at the given time.  
Therefore we can only view this as a miracle depending upon 
our own individual perceptions of what we believe to be true.  
This leads to a non uniform event since we as individuals hold 
different beliefs of what we hold true, and false.
     The second miracle in which I will discuss was that 
of Moses and the burning bush.   As Moses was working in the 
fields a angel of the Lord appeared to him in fire flaming out 
of the holy bush.  Almost amazing the bush was full of flames 
but was yet not consumed.  As he walked closer he heard the 
voice, the voice of God telling Moses he was the chosen one to 
take the Israelite’s out of Egypt away from the cruel hands of 
the Egyptians.  In disbelief that he was the chosen one he set 
forth on his journey to Egypt with God watching over him and 
leading the way.  As Moses leads the Israelite’s out of Egypt 
he comes to the Red Sea with the Egyptians close behind.  As 
the bible explains the miracle takes place the Red Sea splits 
leading the Israelite’s to freedom.  As the Egyptians were 
crossing the sea it closed it’s gates and let them drown with 
in the waters of the sea.  In justifying whether Hume would 
discredit this miracle he would definitely see how one may say 
it is a miracle, but again would have a hard time validating 
the testimony of the miracle.  Again we see the pattern of the 
fact that there is no one to testify for the event.  We can 
only view this as a truthful experience through our belief in 
God and the bible.  It is what we are taught to believe 
through religious texts, and our house of worship.  It is the 
individuals perception of reality and what he or she believes 
to be a valid event.
     In conclusion, a miracle is actually based on an individuals own 
perception of past and present experiences.  The belief in a miraculous event 
tends to have no real evidence through mans hope, it tends to be something 
better through our expectations.  I can not debate the belief of a miracle.  
There is no right or wrong belief.  It is viewed through our own individual 
perception and faith, our existence and sense of reality. 
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