Repository logo
 

Hume and the Independent Witnesses

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Abstract

The Humean argument concerning miracles says that one should always think it more likely that anyone who testifies to a miracle is lying or deluded than that the alleged miracle actually occurred, and so should always reject any single report of it. A longstanding and widely accepted objection is that even if this is right, the concurring and non-collusive testimony of many witnesses should make it rational to believe in whatever miracle they all report. I argue that on the contrary, even multiple reports from non-collusive witnesses lack the sort of independence that could make trouble for Hume.

Description

Keywords

5003 Philosophy, 5004 Religious Studies, 50 Philosophy and Religious Studies

Journal Title

Mind

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0026-4423
1460-2113

Volume Title

124

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)