Shepherd vol 1 ebook Part 2 Introduction

Part 2: Shepherd’s Claim That Hume’s Argument against Miracles Is Flawed

Introduction

In part 2, I aim to show that Hume’s argument against miracles may contain problematic, logical flaws which lessen the plausibility of his argument. The debate about miracles is as hotly contested and controversial today as it was back in the 18th and 19th century. So, I would like to compare the potential relevance of Hume and Shepherd’s arguments about miracles to present day testimony of miracles. I demonstrate where Shepherd claims some of the potential weaknesses in Hume’s argument lie. In her essay VIII (published 1827 but possibly written much earlier) ‘That Human Testimony is of Sufficient Force to Establish the Credibility of Miracles’[i] she combs through and critically assesses Hume’s argument about miracles in section 10 of his ‘Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding’[ii] (first published 1748).  

In chapter 5, I shall unpack Hume’s essay ‘Of Miracles’[iii] in order to do a close textual examination and interpretation of his argument against miracles. In chapter 6, I shall select some of Shepherd’s key counterarguments[iv] against Hume’s views[v] about miracles where she identifies potential flaws in his argument. My focus will be on their differing definitions of a miracle and their views on the laws of nature. I aim to show why Shepherd’s counterarguments consist of compelling, plausible claims against Hume’s views on miracles. In chapter 7, I will consider if Hume could have nevertheless defended his view of miracles as it stands, or whether he would have had to adjust his concepts to attempt to remain plausible in Hume and Shepherd’s era. In chapter 8, I will go on to assess Hume’s views on miracles by applying them to present day examples of miracles in order to evaluate the contemporary applicability of his respective arguments. I conclude by suggesting that if Hume had needed to defend his views against Shepherd’s criticisms, I think he may have struggled to retain the claims he outlines in his essay ‘Of Miracles’[vi].  

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[i] Mary Shepherd, ‘“Essay VIII: That Human Testimony Is Of Sufficient Force To Establish the Credibility Of Miracles.”’, in Essays on the Perception of an External Universe and Other Subjects Connected with the Doctrine of Causation (Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom: John hatchard and Son., 1827), 325–45, https://archive.org/stream/essaysonpercepti00shep/#page/n7/mode/2up.

[ii] David Hume, ‘Section X, “Of Miracles”’, in Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals, ed. Selby-Bigge and Nidditch, 3rd edition (Oxford Clarendon Press, 1975).

[iii] Hume.

[iv] Shepherd, ‘“Of Miracles”’.

[v] Hume, ‘Section X, “Of Miracles”’.

[vi] Hume.