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    Hume's argument against miracles based on testimony fails... — Carmelics
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    Hume's argument against miracles based on testimony fails because it relies on an ambiguity between 'all testimony' and 'some testimony'

    Natural Theology
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    2 reasons for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

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    Reason for 1 of 2
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    • 1.Hume's maxim that testimony for miracles is always outweighed by uniform experience treats all miracle testimony as epistemically equivalent to weak testimony.
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    • 2.Earman's formal reconstruction shows Hume's argument conflates base rates of all testimony with the conditional reliability of specific corroborated testimony.
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    • 3.Bayesian analysis by Earman and Sobel demonstrates that sufficiently independent, convergent testimony can raise posterior probability regardless of prior improbability.
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    Reason for 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.C.D. Broad noted that Hume's argument proves too much: it would rule out accepting any extraordinary historical event attested by reliable witnesses.
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    • 2.The testimony of multiple independent witnesses to a singular event constitutes a distinct epistemic category from generic unreliable testimony, requiring differential treatment.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
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    • 1.The argument against miracles treats 'all testimony' as if it were uniform in reliability
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    • 2.A parody syllogism exposes the same fallacy: 'Some books are mere trash; Hume's Works are [some] books; therefore [Hume's Works are mere trash]'
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    • 3.Inferring from 'some X has property P' to a specific instance of X having property P is a formal fallacy
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    Natural Theology

    Related

    A parody syllogism exposes the same fallacy: 'Some books are mere trash; Hume's ...Bayesian analysis by Earman and Sobel demonstrates that sufficiently independent...C.D. Broad noted that Hume's argument proves too much: it would rule out accepti...Earman's formal reconstruction shows Hume's argument conflates base rates of all...
    +4 moreShow less
    Hume's maxim that testimony for miracles is always outweighed by uniform experie...Inferring from 'some X has property P' to a specific instance of X having proper...The argument against miracles treats 'all testimony' as if it were uniform in re...The testimony of multiple independent witnesses to a singular event constitutes ...

    Similar

    The argument against miracles treats 'all testimony' as if it were uni...91%Hume's argument is about the epistemic rationality of believing miracl...82%Coleman's argument against belief in reported miracles has limited for...79%The criticism that Hume denies the very possibility of miracles misrep...78%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: miracles
    View source passageHide passage
    This is, however, much too crude an argument to carry any weight, since it turns on a simple ambiguity between all testimony and some testimony. Whately offers an amusing parody that makes the fallacy obvious: Some books are mere trash; Hume’s Works are [some] books; therefore, etc.
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (2 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit