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    John Earman argues in 'Hume's Abject Failure' that Hume c... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Hume does not deny the metaphysical possibility of miracles

    John Earman argues in 'Hume's Abject Failure' that Hume conflates epistemic conceivability with genuine metaphysical possibility without justification.

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    1 reason for
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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.Hume treats whatever is conceivable as metaphysically possible without establishing why conceivability should track possibility.
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    • 2.We can conceive of logically impossible scenarios (round squares), showing conceivability exceeds genuine metaphysical possibility.
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    • 3.Hume's argument against necessary connections relies on this conflation, undermining his empiricist conclusions about causation.
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    Reasons Against

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    • 1.Hume explicitly distinguishes conceivability from possibility, limiting conceivability to logically coherent ideas in his framework.
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    • 2.Earman's critique may misread Hume's epistemic project—Hume focuses on what grounds knowledge, not metaphysical possibility itself.
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    • 3.Even if the conflation exists, it doesn't defeat Hume's core claims about the limits of empirical knowledge of causation.
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    Modality & Possibility1 linkedNatural Theology1 linked

    Related

    Earman's critique may misread Hume's epistemic project—Hume focuses on what grou...Even if the conflation exists, it doesn't defeat Hume's core claims about the li...Hume does not deny the metaphysical possibility of miraclesHume explicitly distinguishes conceivability from possibility, limiting conceiva...
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    Hume treats whatever is conceivable as metaphysically possible without establish...Hume's argument against necessary connections relies on this conflation, undermi...We can conceive of logically impossible scenarios (round squares), showing conce...

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    2 (1 for, 1 against)
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