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MIRACLES
Essential to the theism is the idea of God intervenes in the course of historical events and of nature. The former stands for
«revelation» and the latter causes «miracles».
Miracles seem to be significant to the theistic view for at least two reasons:
1) By performing miracles God can make human beings aware of his existence , particularly that he has an absolute power over the creation.
2) In so doing, God can provide a justification for the
authenticity of revelation sent to his prophets.
IS A MIRACLE POSSIBLE?
A miracle is usually considered to be an extraordinary event which happens due to the suspension of the «natural laws» by God.
But, can the natural laws be suspended?
It is generally conceded that the natural laws are necessary, but not logically necessary. They are logically contingent such that their denial does not yield a contradiction.
If God can perform any action that is logically possible, then
there are no a priori reason against the possibility of miracles.
AL-GHAZALI ON MIRACLES
According to Ghazali, miracles are possible because the order of natural facts is not necessary. The current natural order can be otherwise and such a change does not cause any contradiction.
Essential to this view is the idea that there is no necessary connection between cause and effect.
The fact that two things exist simultaneously does not lead to the conclusion that one of them is (necessarily) the cause of the other.
It is therefore up to God to change the order of natural facts and
events.
HUME ON MIRACLES
Hume defines miracles in terms of violation of the laws nature.
Just like al-Ghazali he does not see a necessary connection between cause and effect.
But, unlike al-Ghazali, he argues against the occurrence of miracles.
This is basically because of his empricist intuitions.
Given our experiential background with regard to the nature, he thinks that it is not reasonable to believe that miracles occur.
That is, the experiential/ observational evidence makes the
occurrence of miracles unlikely.
EVALUATION
A theist will concede that miracles are not ordinary events.
As extra-ordinary events miracles go against our ordinary experience of the natural happenings.
But the possibility and realisation of miracles cannot be categorically denied on inductive grounds.
