David Hume Essay, Research Paper

In reading the ideas of David Hume, I have came to believe that he was telling

us the miracles don?t exist. They are sort of a ?Mission impossible.? We

have no evidence that they exist. Some might say that religion gives us examples

of miracles. But there are no facts to support their miracles. If there ever

was, then they were lost over the many years. People might also say that

miracles happen all the time, but it?s just not true. Everything that happens

has some scientific fact or law behind in no matter how small. So to put it all

in perspective, Hume’s argument against miracles centers around his fundamental

position on causality. He claims that the human notion of cause and effect is

ungrounded in empirical evidence, but rather given only reasonable probability

through continuous reinforcement. I.e., I touch fire I feel pain. This does not

eccesitate that when I touch fire I will always have to feel pain, but rather I

have no good reason to think that it will not happen. Therefore his argument

against miracles says that no one has good reason to believe that events outside

of the witnessed laws of nature should ever occur. Miracles are for Hume

irrational beliefs where causal belief is not absolute but rather probable. The

problem is, what do you define as a miracle? An event that goes against the

"laws of nature" or the fact that we even exist is a miracle…

certainly it is highly probable that we shouldn’t!