1 - philosophical issues and questions Flashcards
Inductive Reasoning
conclusion based on probability from evidence
a posteriori
argument based on experience or empirical evidence
types of order and regularity
co-presence -> special order (eg structure of a watch)
succession -> temporal order (eg laws of nature
anthropic principle
This principle suggests that the universe’s fundamental constants are fine-tuned to allow for the existence of life
strong anthropic principle
universe must support life
weak anthropic principle
life adapted to the universe’s conditions
role of analogy
W Payley: a watch’s complexity implies a designer, so does the universe
cumulative effect of evidence
many examples of order together strengthen the universe
design argument - strengths
- probability over proof
- anthropic principle
- intuition of design
design argument - weaknesses
- evolution
- david hume theory
- deism
inductive reasoning
based on empirical evidence and causation
principle of sufficient reason
everything must have an explanation or cause
motion (aquinas)
everything in motion was set in motion by another
cause and effect
a chain of causes must begin with an uncased first cause
contingency
everything in the universe is contingent (dependent on something else)
strengths of cosmological argument
- supports intuition
- principle of sufficient reason
- kalam version
weaknesses of cosmological argument
- hume (critiques causation, cannot assume everything has a cause)
- kant (claims idea of a necessary being is not provable)
- infinite regress (possible without first cause)
a priori
based on logic and reasoning, not experience
deductive reasoning
if the premises are true, the conclusion must follow
analytic proposition
a statement true by definition
anselm’s ontological argument
-> God is ‘that than which nothing greater can be convieced’
premise 1 - god exists in the understanding
premise 2 - is it greater to exist in reality than understanding alone
conclusion - God must exist in reality
necessary existence
God’s existence is not contingent; he must exist by definition
strengths of ontological argument
- logical proof
- supports faith
- necessary existence
weaknesses of ontological argument
- Guanilo’s Island (undermines Anselm’s logic by understanding absurd conclusions)
- Kant (argues existence cannot be added to concept of God)
- unpersuasive to non-believers
David Hume - critique of design/cosmological arguments
design critique: analogies are flawed, the universe may be a result of chance of necessity
cosmological critique: cause and effect are human constructs, not necessarily universal truths
Aquinas - contribution to cosmological argument
first cause: everything is caused by something, God is the uncaused cause
contingency: God is the necessary being
Kant - Critique of cosmological argument
speculative reasoning cannot prove God’s existence
Anselm - ontological argument
God is greatest conceivable being and must exist in reality
critique: guanilo - argument applies equally to absurd concepts, like a perfect island
W Payley - design argument
contribution: watchmaker analogy - complexity requires a designer
critique: david hume - weak analogy due to dissimilarities of man-made objects and the universe
Hume on design arguments
- our experience of the universe is limited -> when we see a house we can conclude it has an architect or a builder from experience
- analogies do not always work very well -> there are not enough strong similarities between a watch and a designer (God)
- we cannot know anything about the cause from effect -> payley assumes that God was the creator of the universe, but we cannot assume that there is only one designer
strengths of the design argument
- the argument is easy to understand and relates to observable phenomena
- it complements the idea that the universe’s complexity and order are not random
weaknesses of the design argument
- probability rather than proof -> argument suggests a designer is likely, but does not definitely prove it
- alternative interpretations -> evolution and natural selection provide alternative explanations for complexity and order
- challenges -> david hume and other critics argue that the analogies are weak and complexity does not necessarily imply design
synthetic proposition
- a proposition the truth of which depends on factors other than the meanings of the terms used
- cannot be verified from the meanings of words -> must investigate the world to see if its true
