Miracles Test Review

Dene naturalist. A naturalist is one who believes that nature is a closed system of events, when taken collectively, that happen of their own accord, and are thus selfexplanatory. Dene supernaturalist. A supernaturalist is one who believes that while nature is a closed system of events, there exists another order of reality that is both causal and fundamental. What are three reasons people, in general, may disbelieve in miracles? 1. God does not exist; there is no power in existence capable of suspending natural causes. 2. Miracles are not actual; even if they were possible, we have no proof of their existence in history. 3. Miracles are not possible. a. The laws of nature are inviolable and cannot be broken. b. Nature is a self-contained and self-explanatory system and there is nothing outside this system capable of transforming or interacting with that Of the objections to miracles, which is the most essential to establishing their veracity; that is, what is the primary question when considering the reality of miracles? The primary question about miracles is whether they are possible. What we know logically about miracles: a. If miracles are not possible, then they are not actual. b. If they are possible, however, then we are not sure whether they are actual. c. If they are not actual, they may still be possible. d. If they are actual, then they must be possible. What is the worst way to argue for the reality of miracles? To argue for the historical presence of miracles. Why is this an ineffective strategy? The objections rely on the philosophical level, that of impossibility. If miracles are proved impossible, so would Christianity, because its fundamental doctrines are based on miracles (incarnation, resurrection, etc.) So if we can prove miracles are possible, so would Christianity be possible. Getting stuck trying to prove an event as miraculous would be fruitless unless you can prove miracles themselves as being possible.

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C.S. Lewis What we learn from experience depends on the kind of philosophy we bring to experience.

Reductive Naturalism v. Supervenient Naturalism 1. Reductive Naturalism: mental states are identical with physical states and events (aka what occurs in the brain). the mental state is merely made up of chemical reactions. 2. Supervenient Naturalism: mental and physical states exist on two levels. certain kinds of mental states correspond to different kinds of physical states. 3. In both: nature is a closed system of events that is completely self explanatory Know the things/objects the naturalist would have a difculty with What is the chief difculty with Naturalism? (conclusion) Why must naturalism be committed to such a self-contradiction? (argument) Why is a microcosmic issue (i.e., the nature of thought) thought to reveal a macrocosmic issue with Naturalism? What feature of thought, in particular, does Naturalism fail to account for? Aside from cause and effect, human beings think in terms of ________________ and __________________. The above process relies on what kind of object? (i.e., the kind of thing to which the animal does not refer to when acting/reacting) Why can we suggest that evolutionary naturalism adds no signicant, if any, further capacity to account for human rationality? That is, why does time, or repeat physical events, fail to be a sufcient cause of the kind of things we think?

*Note: If Physical causes/events are alone in sufcient to fully account for human rationality, there must exist some other principle-other than physical principles/events/ agents/causes-that account for rationality that is both causal and fundamental. What is this principle? This principle is supernaturalism. While nature is a closed system of events; there exists another order that is both causal and fundamental.

In what other ways does the super-naturalist rely on alternative principles to explain the natural order? 1. Organic Unity --> Form and Matter (ex. Person Soul and Body) 2. Human Action --> The will can act upon the body 3. Human Thought --> Intellect and Sensory information insight --> actions/principles/universal laws and concepts

4. Created Universe --> Form --> Matter God --> Universe (God is the principle or the form by which the material stuff in the universe are structured/organized)

What may therefore be possible, if super-naturalism is indeed possible (though perhaps not actual)? Miracles are therefore possible even if they are not actual. The same concept could even be applied to the existence of God because miracles are a direct result of Gods existence and involvement.