Miracles – A Very Short Introduction

This is a very fair-minded treatment of miracles, starting with a thorough definition and then moving on to miracles reported in religious texts, belief and rationality in relation to miracles, and whether there can be miracles without the supernatural. The author identifies eight common features, suggesting that a miracle is a violation of the laws of nature caused by an intentional agent, and that it has religious significance. It might be more accurate to say that it is a violation of what we know and assume about nature rather than of the laws of nature as such, as Hume famously proposed in the 18th century. For instance, in the section on reports from religious texts, instances of clairvoyance, precognition and healing are quoted without relating these to modern research. The treatment of Hume's arguments is very good, but makes no mention of the demolition by Alfred Russel Wallace over a hundred years ago. Miracles without the supernatural are illustrated with exceptional altruism, but this is rather different concept. In the end, what one regards as a miracle will depend upon one's prior assumptions and understanding.