# X: Of Miracles explained — An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

> Chapter companion for An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume.

## What happens

Hume presents a sustained argument against belief in miracles, contending that no testimony can establish a miracle because it is always more probable that the witnesses were mistaken or deceitful than that a violation of natural law occurred. He extends this critique to religious scriptures and prophecies, concluding that the Christian religion is founded on faith, not reason, and that a reasonable person cannot believe it without a personal miracle that subverts all understanding.

## Themes in this chapter

### Critique of Miracles and Superstition

Hume systematically argues that testimony for miracles is always outweighed by the uniform experience of natural law, making belief in miracles irrational.

### Custom and Habit as Guides

Hume grounds the evaluation of testimony in custom and experience, asserting that our confidence in witnesses derives from observed regularities, not a priori connections.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The philosophical voice presenting the argument against miracles and superstitious delusion.

### Adam

Referenced in the context of the biblical account of the fall and the age of man extended to near a thousand years.

## Key lines

> Our most holy religion is founded on Faith , not on reason; and it is a sure method of exposing it to put it to such a trial as it is, by no means, fitted to endure.

Christianity is based on faith, not rational proof, and attempting to defend it through reason only makes it vulnerable.

_Hume asserts that religion should not be subjected to rational scrutiny because it is inherently a matter of faith._

> A wise man, therefore, proportions his belief to the evidence.

A prudent person adjusts the strength of their belief according to the quality and quantity of available evidence.

_This encapsulates Hume's empiricist epistemology, emphasizing evidence-based judgment._

> I desire anyone to lay his hand upon his heart, and after a serious consideration declare, whether he thinks that the falsehood of such a book, supported by such a testimony, would be more extraordinary and miraculous than all the miracles it relates.

Hume challenges readers to consider whether it is more miraculous that the biblical accounts are false than that the miracles they describe actually occurred.

_This is a key rhetorical move in his argument that it is always more probable that testimony is false than that a miracle happened._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/an_enquiry_concerning_human_understanding_se/chapters/x-of-miracles
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/an_enquiry_concerning_human_understanding_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/an_enquiry_concerning_human_understanding_se/chapters