Miracles

Before considering whether a miracle has occurred, one must consider whether it can occur. Lewis challenges naturalism, the idea that nothing exists outside of nature, with an argument that has sparked much debate. Lewis distinguishes two worldviews: naturalism, for which everything is the product of a chain of natural causes, and supernaturalism, for which there exists something beyond nature. His central argument, often called the "argument from reason": if our thoughts are merely the result of blind physical processes, why should we trust our reasoning, including the reasoning that concludes naturalism? He then shows that the laws of nature do not forbid miracles: they describe what happens when nothing interferes. Finally, he examines the "great miracle", the Incarnation, and classifies the miracles of the Gospels as acts that achieve in a small and quick way what nature does in a large and slow manner (the wine at Cana, for example). **Title** Miracles: A Preliminary Study **Publisher** Geoffrey Bles, London, 1947; chapter 3 revised in 1960 **Availability in bookshops** Available (Empreinte temps présent) **Reading level** Demanding — Lewis's most philosophical of his popular books **For whom** For readers who enjoy philosophy. The final chapters on Christ's miracles are easier. **Themes**

Naturalism and reason.

The laws of nature and the exception.

The Incarnation, "great miracle".

Myth and history.

**Other French titles**

Les Miracles : étude préliminaire

**Family** Apologetics and spirituality **Other names**

Miracles: A Preliminary Study

Les Miracles : étude préliminaire

Apologetics (philosophical essay)

Apologetics

**Quick facts**## Par où l'aborder

Level: Demanding — the most philosophical of his popular books. For readers who enjoy philosophy. The final chapters on the miracles of Christ are more accessible.

## Le livre en quelques lignes

Lewis begins by distinguishing two worldviews: naturalism, which holds that everything is the product of a chain of natural causes, and supernaturalism, which posits that there is something beyond nature. His central argument, often called the "argument from reason": if our thoughts are merely the result of blind physical processes, why should we trust our reasoning, including the reasoning that leads to naturalism? He then shows that the laws of nature do not rule out miracles: they describe what happens when nothing intervenes. Finally, he examines the "great miracle," the Incarnation, and classifies the miracles of the Gospels as acts that do in a small and quick way what nature does on a grand and slow scale (the wine of Cana, for example, as the vine).

## Dans l'atelier de Lewis

On February 2, 1948, at the Socratic Club in Oxford, which Lewis presided over, the Catholic philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe delivered a scathing critique of chapter 3. Lewis acknowledged the force of her objection and rewrote the chapter for the 1960 paperback edition. The legend that this debate caused him to abandon apologetics is exaggerated, even though his work thereafter took a more narrative turn.

## Ce qui y annonce Narnia

Narnia is a world where magic follows laws (the Deep Magic) and where an "even deeper magic" can transcend them without breaking them — this is precisely the thesis of Miracles.

## En bref

The debate between naturalism and belief has not disappeared; it has shifted to neuroscience and artificial intelligence: are our thoughts merely the product of physical processes? Lewis's argument, first debated in 1948 by Elizabeth Anscombe, remains on the syllabus of religious philosophy courses.

## La trace qu'il a laissée

The argument from reason has been taken up and developed by contemporary philosophers, notably Victor Reppert and Alvin Plantinga, and criticized by others. It is one of Lewis's most discussed books in philosophical circles.

## Les idées à retenir

• Naturalism and reason.
• The laws of nature and the exception.
• The Incarnation, the "great miracle."
• Myth and history.

## Le lire en français

• Les Miracles : étude préliminaire, S.P.B., 1985, trad. Jacques Blondel — first translation
• Miracles, Empreinte temps présent, 2018, trad. Suzanne Bray and Daniel Verheyde — new translation, with preface and critical apparatus

## Voir aussi

• Reasoning or Storytelling? Lewis's Two Pleas and Those Who Responded to Them
• True, False, or Nuanced? Twelve Persistent Legends About Jack, Examined
• The Foundations of Christianity
• Aslan

## Sources

• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracles_(book)
• https://www.pintswithjack.com/csl-in-france/