Author Archives: F. E. Guerra-Pujol
Update from Penn: Data Law & AI Ethics Research Colloquium
Happy Pi Day 3.14! I am happy to report that I was invited to attend a research colloquium on “Data Law & AI Ethics” at the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School) this weekend, where I will be presenting my work-in-progress … Continue reading
Bayes on miracles
I will conclude my survey of Part 1 of David Hume’s famous essay “Of Miracles” by proposing a better approach to the problem of miracles: that of Frank Ramsey and Bruno de Finetti. To the point, Ramsey and de Finetti, … Continue reading
Hume on miracles: the ugly
Thus far, I have surveyed “the good” and “the bad” sides of David Hume’s famous argument against miracles (see here and here). That leaves “the ugly”: Hume’s circular definition of what a miracle is. To the point, for Hume “[a] … Continue reading
Hume on miracles: the bad
*** As I mentioned at the end of my previous post, David Hume’s argument against miracles has two big blind spots. One is the unknown probability problem; the other is the reference class problem. To appreciate the significance of these … Continue reading
Hume on miracles: the good
As I mentioned in my previous post, this week I will offer my own lawyerly take on David Hume’s influential argument against the possibility of miracles: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let’s start out on a positive note, … Continue reading
Hume on miracles: the literature
Last week, we surveyed David Hume’s influential argument against the possibility of miracles. (See here, here, and here.) This week, I want to offer my own take on Hume’s argument — the good, the bad, and the ugly — but … Continue reading
Roberta Flack forever
The artist Roberta Flack, whose music made an indelible mark on my childhood, died last month at the age of 88; here is her New York Times obituary.
Hume on miracles: weigh the evidence
Having defined what a miracle is (see here) and having established the relationship between evidence and probability (here), Hume is now ready to finally unveil his novel argument against miracles. To the point, for Hume “no testimony is sufficient to … Continue reading
Interlude: Hume’s definition of miracles
David Hume finally gets around to miracles in Paragraph 12 of his famous essay on this subject (see here), where he writes: “A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature” (Hume, Of Miracles, para. 12; cf. Voltaire 1764/1901, … Continue reading

