[the] argument itself is very clear, very cogent, and very apposite to present debates

MIND

By situating Hume's famous work "Of Miracles" (which notoriously argues against the possiblity of miracles) in the context of the 18th century debate on miracles, Earman shows that Hume's argument is largely unoriginal, and largely without merit where it is original. On the positive side, he shows how progress can be made on the issues, so provocatively posed in Hume's essay, about the ability of eyewitness testimony to establish the credibility of marvelous and miraculous events. Earman's work is simultaneously a contribution to the history of ideas, the philosophy of religion, and to probability and induction.
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Situating Hume's famous work "Of Miracles" in the context of the 18th century debate on miracles, this book shows that it is largely unoriginal. It also discusses the issues of eyewitness testimony to establish the credibility of marvelous and miraculous events. It aims to contribute to the history of ideas, the philosophy of religion, and more.
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"[T]his is a very good book that one could easily miss. It will be of great interest to Human Scholars, no doubt, but to many others as well. For nonhistorians, there is a window into the religious disputes of that day (e.g., whether miracles should be understood in an ontic or epistemic sense). For philosophers of religion, there are opening moves in the debate on divine action (viz., whether God 'violates' the laws of nature)...the book is surprisingly readable...[E]arman makes the best case yet that Hume's view of inductive inference was naive, even compared to hi contemporaries. His use of the probability calculus gives this point unmatched precision. Perhaps the most important aspect of this book is that John Earman wrote it...He is...one of the very best philosophers of science in the world."--Philosophia Christi "[T]his is a very good book that one could easily miss. It will be of great interest to Human Scholars, no doubt, but to many others as well. For nonhistorians, there is a window into the religious disputes of that day (e.g., whether miracles should be understood in an ontic or epistemic sense). For philosophers of religion, there are opening moves in the debate on divine action (viz., whether God 'violates' the laws of nature)...the book is surprisingly readable...[E]arman makes the best case yet that Hume's view of inductive inference was naive, even compared to hi contemporaries. His use of the probability calculus gives this point unmatched precision. Perhaps the most important aspect of this book is that John Earman wrote it...He is...one of the very best philosophers of science in the world."--Philosophia Christi
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Product details

ISBN
9780195127379
Published
2000
Publisher
Vendor
Oxford University Press Inc
Weight
553 gr
Height
238 mm
Width
162 mm
Thickness
20 mm
Age
P, 06
Language
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Number of pages
232

Author