Larry Shapiro

"The Miracle Myth: Why Belief in Miracles is Unjustified"

Larry Shapiro, March 12, 2014

Professor Larry Shapiro gave a talk entitled "The Miracle Myth: Why Belief in Miracles is Unjustified" on Wednesday, March 12 at 7 PM, in 1100 Grainger. Here is a brief overview of his talk:

A vast majority of Americans believe in miracles. None, I contend, are justified in their belief. After a few words about justification and the nature of miracles, I construct two arguments against belief in miracles. The first focuses on the kind of inference on which believers rely, i.e. inference to the best explanation. The second reframes in contemporary terms David Hume's famous argument against believing in miracles. I close with a brief discussion about whether one should care that his or her belief in miracles is unjustified.

You can read a news story about Dr. Shapiro's talk here.