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Hume Studies Volume 31, Number 1, April 2005, pp. 165-168 Book Reviews ROBERTJ. FOGELIN. A Defense of Hume on Miracles. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2003. Pp. xii + 101. ISBN 0-691-11430-7, cloth, $24.95/£16.95. With A Defense of Hume on Miracles Robert Fogelin enters the recent discussion on Hume's treatment of miracles. In this short book Fogelin begins by presenting his interpretation of Hume's argument concerning miracles. The second chapter is a lengthy treatment of recent work by David Johnson and John Earman , and the third short chapter is a discussion of the relation of Hume's view on miracles to his broader philosophy. There are also two appendices and the text of "Of Miracles." Fundamental to Fogelin's interpretation of Hume is the distinction between two ways of evaluating testimony for a miracle. A direct test looks at the qualities of the testimony that tend to make it reliable or unreliable; this is connected with the likelihood of the miracle occurring given the testimony for it. If the quality of the testimony for something, such as a miracle, is high enough, then according to Hume we have a "proof" of the event attested to. A reverse test looks at the probability of the event attested to, before the testimony is taken into account; this is the prior probability of a miracle occurring. The reverse test can provide a proof against the event if the improbability of the event is low enough. According to Fogelin, both the direct test and indirect test are important factors in evaluating testimony for a miracle. The basic theme of part 1 of Hume's essay involves Volume 31, Number 1, April 2005 166 Book Reviews situations in which we have both a proof based on the direct test for a miracle and a proof based on the reverse test against a miracle. In contrast to most interpretations of Hume on miracles, Fogelin argues that in situations in which we have competing proofs for a miracle, Hume does not claim that the reverse test has priority over the direct test or that it is impossible for the miracle to be adequately supported. Fogelin argues that Hume does not claim that no testimony for a miracle can ever be successful; we need to assess the strength of the evidence for the miracle. One problem with this interpretation of Hume, that Fogelin discusses at length, is that most philosophers do not read Hume this way. Many think it plausible to read Hume as giving some sort of argument to the effect that no testimony could ever support a miracle, and several passages seem to indicate that because of the nature of testimony and laws, no testimony could support a miracle. Fogelin responds that this position faces the serious problem that Hume gives an example of a specific miracle that he would accept on the basis of testimony (eight consecutive days of darkness). Fogelin emphasizes that Hume gives no argument that might plausibly be interpreted as an a priori argument against miracles, especially any simple a priori argument that relies on it being conceptually impossible for a miracle to occur. Although many commentators think that part 2 is not important to Hume's argument, on Fogelin's reading it is of crucial importance. Since Hume allows that testimony could be sufficient to support a miracle, in part 2 Hume investigates direct proofs for miracles, and concludes that no testimony can be strong enough to support a miracle being a basis for religious belief. Fogelin notes that Hume does allow that testimony may support a miracle, but only if the miracle is not intended to be the foundation of a religion. Thus on Fogelin's reading of Hume's argument, part 1 is used to set the standard that any testimony for a miracle must pass, and part 2 argues that no testimony for a miracle can meet that standard. Both parts are essential to a proper understanding of Hume's argument; the argument would be considerably weakened if either were ignored. Fogelin calls critics of Hume who ignore part 2 and interpret Hume as giving ana priori argument "gross...

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