Author: Larry Shapiro
File Type: pdf
There are many who believe Moses parted the Red Sea and Jesus came back from the dead. Others are certain that exorcisms occur, ghosts haunt attics, and the blessed can cure the terminally ill. Though extraordinarily improbable, people have embraced miracles and myths for millennia, seeing in them proof of the extraordinary potential of our worldand ourselves. Helping us think more critically about our belief in the improbable, The Miracle Myth breaks down our mythmaking strategies to better understand how attempts to justify belief in the supernatural fall short. Through arguments and accessible analysis, Larry Shapiro sharpens our critical faculties so we become less susceptible to tales of myths and miracles and learn how, ultimately, our belief in them is counterproductive. Shapiro acknowledges that myths have value. They may even provide insight into our place in nature. Even so, if our understanding of reality is formed through the fallacy of myth, our ties to the world fray. Shapiros investigation reminds us of the importance of evidence and rational thinking as we explore the unknown.**ReviewThe Miracle Myth is an extremely impressive book. It is beautifully written, engaging yet philosophically sophisticated, and offers a novel perspective on the question of how to assess the reliability of accounts of miracles. Even those of us who remain convinced that the evidence for miracles is compelling will find plenty to think about in Shapiros arguments.(David A. Skeel, author of True Paradox How Christianity Makes Sense of Our Complex World) The Miracle Myth is an exceptionally clear book on a controversial and interesting topic.(Michael P. Lynch, author of The Internet of Us Knowing More and Understanding Less in the Age of Big Data) Shapiro does more than hammer some more nails in the coffin of miracles that David Hume fashioned. He marshals much of what we have learned about inference to the best explanation and Bayess theorem in the 270 years since Humes inquiry. Yet he does it with Humes lightness of touch, a wealth of relevant examples of contemporary credulousness, and no equations. It is a book to enjoy and then pass on to friends given to wishful thinking.(Alex Rosenberg, author of The Atheists Guide to Reality Enjoying Life Without Illusions) Most people, at least in the United States, believe in miracles. But should they? In this easy to read and often witty book the philosopher Shapiro demonstrates that there is no scientific or logical justification for doing so. I suspect that The Miracle Myth will convert few true believers, but even they should benefit from reading it.(Ronald L. Numbers, author of The Creationists From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design) About the Author Larry Shapiro is professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of Embodied Cognition (2011), Zen and the Art of Running The Path to Making Peace with Your Pace (2009), and The Mind Incarnate (2004), and the editor of The Routledge Handbook of Embodied Cognition (2014) and Arguing About the Mind (2007).