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Miracles and the Laws of Nature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 April 2010

Robert A. Larmer
Robert A. Larmer
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa
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Extract

In discussing the relation between miracles and the laws of nature, it is important to make clear what one means when one employs the terms “miracle” and “law of nature”. This is essential, since both terms may be used in a number of different ways. I wish to begin, therefore, by briefly indicating how I shall use these terms. I shall then be in a position t o discuss the relation between these particular concepts of miracles and the laws of nature.

Type
Articles
Information
Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review / Revue canadienne de philosophie , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , Summer 1985 , pp. 227 - 236
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Philosophical Association 1985

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References

1 Flew, Anthony, “Miracles”, The Encyclopedia ofPhüosophy 5 (1967), 346.Google Scholar

2 Kim, Jaegwon, “Explanation in Science”, The Encyclopedia ofPhilasophy 3 (1967), 159.Google Scholar

3 I am assuming for the sake of argument that the laws of nature are absolute and not statistical, and that the working of physical processes is dete?ministic. My aimisto show that even granting this miracles need not be conceived as being violations of the laws of nature.

4 Since mass is thought to be a form of energy, we may speak of the P?inciple of the Conservation of Energy ratherthan the Principle of the Conservation ofMass/Energy. For the sake of convenience, I will refer merely to the Principle of the Conservation of Energy.

5 See, for example. Lewis, C. S., Miracles, A Preiminary Study (New York, NY: Macmillan, 1947; rpt. Glasgow: Fontana, 1960), 62–63Google Scholar.

6 It is sometimes objected that the interaction of mind and body would violate the First Law ofThermodynamics. This is not the case, however, as I shall show in the remaining part of my essay. So long as one opts for the “scientific form” of the First Law of Thermodynamics, the interaction of mind and body need not be conceived as violating the First Law.

7 The reason it becomes plausible is that on this view there exists nothing to either create or destroy energy.