How Did We Get Here?: Miracles
April 22 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
What We’ll Explore
In 1748, the Scottish philosopher David Hume defined a miracle as “a violation of the laws of nature,” and quickly went on to suggest that, at least in modern times, such things could never happen. Hume’s account arguably remains a commonplace today, taken for granted to such a degree that it may come as a surprise that someone (living so recently) even needed to say it!
In classical times, by contrast, the Latin root miraculum was used for things which excited wonder or amazement, but without any mention of laws of nature, much less of violating such laws. Most notably, the ancient Romans refereed to the Septem Miracula, or the “Seven Wonders” of the world. Amazing as such wonders are, they’re still very much within the realm of possibility. After all, a well-to-do Roman could take a grand tour, visiting the Great Pyramid, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and all the rest, not to mention smaller, more local “miracles.”
What had to change — in our understanding of nature, of natural laws, and of causes and explanations — in order for Hume’s definition of miracles to seem self-evident, and even to become thinkable at all? What new concepts had to arise? And even more importantly, what older understandings, what traditional ways of seeing ourselves and the world, had to be lost, forgotten, or suppressed?
In this evening’s program, we’ll begin in the 18th century with Hume’s definition, and work our way backwards in time, to survey some of the major changes and developments that allowed Hume’s statement to seem so obvious. And we’ll reflect on some ways in which the older, half-forgotten ways of seeing might still contain helpful possibilities for us today.
When
Tuesday, April 22nd from 6:30pm-8pm
Where
Reeder’s Alley Conference Center
RSVP
Cost
FREE (Donations appreciated)
Other
Hot tea & lights snacks provided. BYOB.
Event Facilitator
David Nowakowski is a philosopher and educator in the Helena area whose professional work is dedicated to helping people of all ages and backgrounds access, understand, and apply the traditions of ancient philosophy to their own lives. David began studying ancient philosophies and classical languages in 2001 and has continued ever since. A scholar of the philosophical traditions of the ancient Mediterranean (Greece, Rome, and North Africa) and of the Indian subcontinent, reading Sanskrit, Latin, and classical Greek, he earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University in 2014. His work has appeared in a variety of scholarly journals, including Philosophy East & West, Asian Philosophy, and the Journal of Indian Philosophy, as well as in presentations to academic audiences at Harvard, Columbia University, the University of Toronto, Yale-NUS College in Singapore, and elsewhere.
After half a decade teaching at liberal arts colleges in the northeast, David chose to leave the academy in order to focus his energies on the transformative value of these ancient philosophical and spiritual traditions in his own life and practice, and on building new systems of education and community learning that will make this rich heritage alive and available to others.
A hermit by nature and by committed choice, he balances contemplative solitude with his active work in teaching, counseling, and the healing arts. David can be reached at [email protected] or via his personal website.
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