Hume's Definition of Miracles Revised

American Philosophical Quarterly 36 (1):49 - 57 (1999)
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Abstract

It is argued that Hume’s definition of miracle stands in need of revision because it fails to be inclusive of acts of supernatural intervention in the world which are non-law-violating. Potential revisions of the definition, due to Paul Dietl and Christopher Hughes are considered and found to be inadequate, and a new definition is put forward; a miracle is "an intended outcome of an intervention in the natural world by a supernatural agent." An objection to this definition is anticipated and a distinction is made between miracles and magic in order to address the objection

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Steve Clarke
Charles Sturt University

Citations of this work

Miracles, Scarce Resources, and Fairness.Steve Clarke - 2018 - American Journal of Bioethics 18 (5):65-66.
Defining Miracles: Direct vs. Indirect Causation.Morgan Luck - 2016 - Philosophy Compass 11 (5):267-276.
In defence of Mumford's definition of a miracle.Morgan Luck - 2003 - Religious Studies 39 (4):465-469.

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