Why All Miracles Do Not Break Natural Law

287 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Divine law vs human law

Spinoza’s statement equating divine law and natural law consequentially leads to the implication that all “miracles” are simply beyond contemporary understanding or stories were exaggerated. Divine law comes from God, who is the source of nature. Natural law allows further understanding of God and his miracles. “Miracles were natural occurrences”, so all miracles are not only part of divine law but also natural law (84). A miracle is anything not already understood, thus it is outside of contemporary understanding because it is a misunderstood law of nature. God cannot break natural law because that is his law, so that would be breaking God’s law which suggests that there is no God, going against the point of a miracle, to prove the existence

Show More
Related

  • David Hume's Argument Against Belief in the Existence of Miracles

    1988 Words  | 4 Pages

    In his discussion 'Of Miracles' in Section X of An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, Hume defines a miracle as “a violation of the laws of nature and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws”1. Basically a miracle is something that happens which is contrary to what would happen given the structure of the universe. He also states that a miracle is a “transgression of a law of nature by a particular volation of the deity, or by the interposition of some invisible agent”2. Hume argues that it is impossible to deduce the existence of a deity from the existence of the world, and that causes cannot be determined from effects.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Spinoza 's ' The Ethics '

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, in 1p33s2 of the Ethics, Spinoza argues against the traditional view that things could have been created by God in some other way or order when he states “All things depend on God’s power. So in order for things to be able to be different, God’s will would necessarily also have to be different. But God’s will cannot be different … So things also cannot be different” (Ethics, 1p33s2). This position directly challenges the traditional view, which states that it is arbitrary whether or not God creates anything at all. According to Spinoza, things necessarily are the way they are and it is not possible for anything to be any different.

    Read More

  • Spinoza: Clarifications and Criticisms on Freedom

    2005 Words  | 5 Pages

    In order to understand the criticisms of Baruch Spinoza’s beliefs, we look at his work “Ethics; Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect; and Selected Letters” translated by Samuel Shirley and edited by Seymour Feldman. This work by Spinoza is broken down in five parts. The first part talks about god. The first part has eight definitions of which the ‘geometric’ proof for Spinoza’s system is based on. Spinoza keeps on going and expostulates that all events are determined and based on fixed laws. Anything that is of Nature (god), must obey these laws.

    Read More

  • Proposition 1: Spinoza´s Proof For God's Existence

    1176 Words  | 3 Pages

    God is by defined as, “a substance consisting of infinite attributes” in Proposition 11. Spinoza presents 3 Axioms based off his definitions to prove God’s existence. They are as follows: “(e)verything that exists, exists either in itself or in something else”, “(t)hat which cannot be conceived through anything else must be conceived though itself”, and “(t)hat from a given definite cause an effect necessarily follows”. He uses these, along with his Propositions and Definitions to argue God’s existence in four steps.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Spinoza's Deus Sive Natura

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    This essay hopes to define Spinoza’s reasoning behind his ‘Deus sive Natura’, arguing that God and Nature, or the universe, are but one substance. This separation is distinct to Spinoza’s substance monism, and argued through a geometric essay structure that allows reasoning to be accessible, as well as logical should the reasoning at each step have validity.

    Read More

  • David Hume on the Existence of Miracles

    1462 Words  | 3 Pages

    So why does the existence of miracles have any meaning at all? Belief in miracles helps to bring a sense of the divine existence of God to those who believe in a material way. Miracles are a way for signs from God to be transferred to mankind, in a way that we are able to understand. These miracles or signs from God can help to show divine favour, and to support our moral beliefs and ideology, to let us know that we are on the path of righteousness for those who believe. But what then, constitutes a miracle? A miracle, according to Hume, is a violation of the laws of nature, something that cannot happen, but does. (Hume, 1777,E10.12) I believe that Hume believes that the the laws of nature, cannot ever be violated, for if one believes that this is possible, then the laws of nature are fallible and belief in the laws of nature which should be unalterable, would no longer apply. It is therefore, far more reasonable to believe that the laws of nature, which have proven themselves over and over again, are in fact to be believed and accepted over any possiblity for the existence of a miracle.

    Read More

  • David Hume And Spinoza

    1816 Words  | 4 Pages

    The closest we get to cause and effect are two distinct phenomena arising together often and the mind thinking one produces the other. Hume regards this as a constant conjunction, not cause and effect. Although this is a leap in reasoning, and we have no reason to believe this to be true, Hume regards this as custom, which is the great guide of life (28). Life would be chaos if we believed in things completely contrary to the regularity of our experience, but the formation of habit is where we can lead ourselves to erroneous judgments. Although Hume's skepticism appears to clear up the mind, it leads him to believe that there is no such thing as causation, which Spinoza disagrees with. Rather, Spinoza argues that nature is all a long chain of causation which gives all causes effects and all effects causes. This system recognizes nature as a mechanism. All causes are a result of nature and the conditions imposed by it. Judging cause and effect individually is missing the point. To say that a billiard ball causes the other one to move only focuses two select phenomena. Rather, God, or nature, is that which connects all phenomena. Thus, the chain of causation cannot be understood of by two simple "links, it must be assessed as a whole. Spinoza argues that there are no free causes, only necessary ones. Thus, all causes are free causes and are a result of nature. This great chain of

    Read More

  • Comparing Natural Law And The View Of Thomas Hobbes And Thomas Aquinas

    2061 Words  | 5 Pages

    According to page 34 of On Law, Morality, and Politics by William Thomas, “The roots of natural law lye in Aristotle’s doctrine that state that every substance or nature contains a ‘telso’, or in other words a law of development.” According to the same source, attempting to define “natural law” typically involves assertions to questions that cannot be directly answered. A Basic Form of Good: Knowledge, by John Finnis defines natural law on page 12 as:

    Read More

  • Victor Frankenstein Goes Beyond The Laws of Nature

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    Victor Frankenstein is the protagonist and the narrator of the main story in Frankenstein. Raised by doting parents, Victor confesses: “I was their plaything and their idol, and something better-their child, the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by Heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties towards me.” (35) This statement condemns his later reckless and arrogant behavior. Victor was obsessed from an early age with natural philosophy and the ultimate knowledge of life. He sought answers to the many questions that puzzled great minds before him. Motivated by ambition and an insatiable quest to be God like and create life, Victor dedicated himself to this one pursuit for nearly two years. The creature, which was made out of old body parts stolen from the cemetery, strange chemicals, and a mysterious spark, convulsed to life. In this moment, Victor becomes a creator of a human life, the “God” to a being that was deserving of the attention and love of its creator.

    Read More

  • Monism: An Argument For Monism-Spinoza

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning of the course of unraveling 17th and 18th century profound philosophers we became acquainted with Descartes dualism, by analyzing that extension according to Descartes are two of God’s distinct features in which we ought to perceive. Not only did Spinoza toss the conception that God actively alters the earth through Descartes proclaimed “natural laws”, but unlike Descartes he believed God to be the only definite substance. For Spinoza God and God’s creation weren’t two diverse, distinctive substances instead only god or as he phrased nature is the sole true substance. This paper will entail why he takes a monist stance and rejects traditional religious views through the building blocks of

    Read More

  • Natural Law Vs Divine Command Theory

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, while both the Natural Law Theory and the Divine Command Theory have aspects that I don’t agree on, both brought interesting ways to look at the world and the

    Read More

  • Ironies and Paradoxes

    3000 Words  | 6 Pages

    ABSTRACT: In contemporary literary culture there is a widespread belief that ironies and paradoxes are closely akin. This is due to the importance that is given to the use of language in contemporary estimations of literature. Ironies and paradoxes seem to embody the sorts of a linguistic rebellion, innovation, deviation, and play, that have throughout this century become the dominant criteria of literary value. The association of irony with paradox, and of both with literature, is often ascribed to the New Criticism, and more specifically to Cleanth Brooks. Brooks, however, used the two terms in a manner that was unconventional, even eccentric, and that differed significantly from their use in figurative theory. I therefore examine irony and paradox as verbal figures, noting their characteristic features and criteria, and, in particular, how they differ from one another (for instance, a paradox means exactly what it says whereas an irony does not). I argue that irony and paradox — as understood by Brooks — have important affinities with irony and paradox as figures, but that they must be regarded as quite distinct, both in figurative theory and in Brooks’ extended sense.

    Read More

  • The Natural Law by Thomas Aquinas

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    The natural law was given to man so that he might know virtue. While the natural law is vague, and hard to understand it always points in the right direction. Human law derives its precepts from the natural law. However, human law often misinterprets what the highest good is and creates laws that disagree with the natural law. One case where the natural law conflicts with human law is abortion, which is directly opposed to the natural law of God.

    Read More

  • Natural Law And Positive Law

    1257 Words  | 3 Pages

    Question One: Define natural law and positive law.  What is the relationship between natural law and positive law? Natural law and positive law operate with similar intent yet have been developed separately, but in a manner in which they coexist. Positive law is the tangible system of “rules” in which society operates under. This form of rule abiding is set forth by two different branches, moral code and forms of law (Riddal, pg. 41). Moral obligation does not consist of a set punishing body when such rules are violated, but are subject to opposition from another party in the event of such code being breached, forcing pressure to conform. Such pressure is more explicitly present in legislative rules through various sanctions; heavily deterring

    Read More

  • The Power of Nature

    1274 Words  | 3 Pages

    The power of nature is all around us and can be found almost anywhere. One is able to study nature through experiencing it firsthand, looking at a picture, watching a movie, or even reading a familiar children’s story. I believe that by learning more about nature we can grow closer to God. Emerson states, “Nature is so pervaded in human life, that there is something of humanity in all, and in every particular” (Emerson 508). Like Emerson, I believe that humanity and nature were created by God and we can learn more about the Spirit of God by studying nature. I also see that nature has the power to influence our emotions and actions. I see evidence of this through various landscapes such as the desert, the beach, the mountains and the jungle. I thought about the vastness of the desert during a recent trip to the desert with my class. I think about nature and my love for it when I am scanning through my photo album and see pictures that capture me enjoying the mountains of Utah. When I watched the movie The Beach I was struck out how nature, specifically the beautiful beaches of Thailand, influenced the actions of every character in the movie. Of course it is hard to read a legendary story such as “Jungle Book” and not see what a powerful effect nature and its’ animals can have over humans.

    Read More

More about Why All Miracles Do Not Break Natural Law

Open Document