Are Miracles Off Limits for the Wise?

About this sermon

DONATE: https://give.catholic.com/castudios Are Miracles Off Limits for the Wise? The eighteenth-century philosopher David Hume argued that a wise man should never believe in a miracle claim because the evidence for what occurs over and over always outweighs the evidence for what does not. In this video, Karlo shows why this reasoning is unsound and why belief in miracle is not off limits for a wise man. For more information about this topic, please visit our website at: catholic.com. Copyright Catholic Answers, Inc. 2018 STAY CONNECTED! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catholicanswers Twitter: https://twitter.com/catholiccom Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicanswers/ HELP US make more videos like this one! https://give.catholic.com/castudios BOOK KARLO for your event! http://www.catholicanswersspeakers.com About Karlo Broussard: Karlo Broussard, a native of Crowley, Louisiana, left a promising musical career to devote himself full-time to the work of Catholic apologetics. For more than a decade he has traveled the country teaching apologetics, biblical studies, theology, and philosophy. Karlo has published articles on a variety of subjects in Catholic Answers Magazine, is a regular guest on Catholic Answers Live, and is an active blogger at catholic.com. Karlo holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology from Catholic Distance University and the Augustine Institute, and is currently working on his masters in philosophy with Holy Apostles College and Seminary. He also worked for several years in an apprenticeship with nationally known author and theologian Fr. Robert J. Spitzer at the Magis Center of Reason and Faith. Karlo is one of the most dynamic and gifted Catholic speakers on the circuit today, communicating with precision of thought, a genuine love for God, and an enthusiasm that inspires. Script: The 18th century skeptic philosopher David Hume argued that the wise man should never believe in miracles because the evidence for what occurs over and over (the regular) always outweighs evidence for what does not (the rare). But was Hume right? Well, no, and here are some reasons why. First, it’s not true that evidence for uniform experience always outweighs evidence for what is rare. For example, have you experienced any Big Bangs lately? My guess is “no.” Does that mean we should reject the Big Bang because it contradicts our uniform experience? Of course not! Second, Hume’s principle nullifies science itself. Think about it! Science necessarily presupposes the possibility of discovering new things, right? And that new data alters current scientific theories! But if Hume’s principle were correct, it would be unreasonable to revise such theories. So much for replacing the Newtonian view of the universe with Einstein’s view. No skeptic can hold this and still be seen as intellectually credible. A third reason why Hume’s argument fails is that it makes the authentication of any miracle impossible. It views rarity as that which disqualifies rational belief. And yet rarity is the essence of a miracle. The argument, therefore, begs the question, since it assumes belief in miracles is irrational when it’s trying to prove that belief in miracles is irrational. So, are miracles in and of themselves off limits for the wise, as Hume puts it? I don’t think so. If you want to learn more about this topic and others like it, visit our website at catholic.com. Also, visit catholicanswersspeakers.com to learn how you can bring me out to speak at your next event. For Catholic Answers, I’m Karlo Broussard. Thanks for watching.

Topics

• Wisdom
• Miracles