Legitimacy of Miracle - by Robert A Larmer (Hardcover)

About the Book

The Legitimacy of Miracle defends the view that miracles, in the strong sense of being events produced by a supernatural agent overriding the usual course of nature, can take place without violating any laws of nature. This means that the evidence for miracles cannot be judged...

Book Synopsis

The Legitimacy of Miracle defends the view that miracles, in the strong sense of being events produced by a supernatural agent overriding the usual course of nature, can take place without violating any laws of nature. This means that the evidence for miracles cannot be judged to be in conflict with the evidence for the laws of nature; the result being that Humean objections to the rationality of belief in miracles fail.

Review Quotes

"I thoroughly enjoyed this work and learned much from it. This book is carefully organized, closely reasoned, relentlessly logical, and engaged with a broad range of conversation partners. Sophisticated yet accessible to the interested nonspecialist, it moves the discussion forward on a number of key points."

"This is a masterful work of philosophical maturity. Patient, meticulous, and well-informed, Robert A. Larmer systematically disarms the philosophical, theological and scientific case against miracles. He completes his case by showing that Christian theism is the best explanation of well-attested biblical and contemporary miracle reports. Intellectual honesty will require skeptics to reconsider their position. Highly recommended."

Larmer...approaches the task of explication and defense of miracles with rigor and a broad appreciation of important arguments on the topic. His background in philosophy is in clear evidence everywhere. . . .Larmer's book is a careful discussion of many topics central to the age-old concept of miracle, and will be profitable to anyone studying the topic.

If you are a philosopher religion whose research area is miracles, the book is a must-read. If you are philosopher of religion whose research area is not miracles, then, as the book connects with core topics in this field, it will prove a valuable read.

About the Author

Robert Larmer is professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of New Brunswick.