Miracles Without Violation: Systems and Constraints

Suppose that God brings about a miraculous event: the Sun is halted in its course, the Red Sea is parted, a man walks unaided on water. Prescinding from the epistemologicalquestion of how one may know that a particular event is miraculous, we may instead ask how miracles can occur without disruption of the laws of nature. This latter question, of course, depends on the nature of reality itself. Are the laws of nature absolute and fixed? If so, would a miraculous event constitute a violation of those laws? Or perhaps the laws of nature are not fixed, but permit exceptions or probabilistic deviations, in which caseno violation would seem to occur? This paper develops a conceptual model to explain how miracles may occur in accordance with, and without violation of, nature’s laws. It begins with the traditional understanding of miracles as events contrary to nature, followed by an examination of David Hume’s influential account of miracles as violations of the laws of nature. A number of objections to Hume’s position are then considered, including accountsthat seek to understand miracles in terms of divine agency, suspension, or causal intervention. It is argued, however, that these objections fail to resolve the matter entirelyand that the underlying problem remains conceptually unresolved. To reframe the debate, the paper examines the distinction between open and closed systems and thereafter introduces the concepts of systems and constraints. A system is understood as a set of statesof affairs governed by constraints, illustrated through the simple game of tic-tac-toe. Within this framework, a miracle is understood as an act of God that temporarily modifiesthe operative constraints of the natural system, thereby permitting states of affairs beyond those ordinarily admissible. Such an alteration neither abolishes nor suspends the natural order, but instead temporarily extends it. In this way, the account seeks to preserve boththe integrity of nature’s laws and the efficacy of divine action. The paper concludes with a summary and brief reflection on the broader implications of the argument.