1.1 the design argument Flashcards
What is an inductive argument?
Process of reasoning from particular instances to general and probable conclusions.
Conclusion cannot be guarenteed
What does posteriori mean?
What comes after, e.g uses experiences that have already happened
What is deductive reasoning?
A process of reasoning from a general principal which is applied to a particular circumstance
What are key features of an inductive argument?
- Uses a posteriori knowledge, based on sense and experience
- An argument from a probable solution
What we speculate about what isnt known
Are inductive arguments effective?
FOR:
* helps us gain an understanding of the world around us
* allows for new theories to be tested and proved accurate or not
AGAINST:
* Only ever probable
* based on assumptions
* must be proved through testing
What is the definition of an A posteriori argument?
Reasoning based on experience
What are the key features of an A Posteriori argument?
Tested using evidence, which provides probable answers
What is an example of A Posteriori argument?
Barbados in the off season is very humid
I have experienced Barbados in the off season so i can make an A posteriori argument
What is an example of an argument not derived from experience?
There are 360 degrees in a circle
This is not an experience but a fact discovered through other means
Summarise the Design argument
- We experience a world that is designed with order within the universe e.g the seasons
- The universe appears to be designed by a supreme being e.g God
- Everything is so perfect that it cannot be chance and someone must have designed it e.g the earths position from the sun
What are the key features of the Design argument?
- It is an inductive argument
- A posteriori reasoning
- teleological: concerned with the meaning and purpose of the world
- Based on an analogy - comparing something we don’t know to something we do (the universe is compared to a watch)
Name some examples of design in the universe
- The fibonacci sequence
- a birds wing
- the human eye
what are the PROS of the Design argument?
- It uses evidence
What are the CONS of the design argument?
- it will only ever be probable
- the world doesn’t always seem ordered e.g natural disasters and poverty
- God didnt create us with a purpose, we evolved
What is William Paley famous for?
The watch analogy, arguing the exsistance of God as designer
What is an anology?
c comparison between two things with similar ideas, udes to explain the less farmiliar idea.
eg Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you’re gonna get
Give an outline of the DA in its analogical form
- If you find a watch on a heath, it requires explanation because the watch has been put there for a purpose (to tell time)- a design and a designer
- the watch= the world
- everything is ordered, regular and has a purpose
How essential is order and regularity to the DA?
regularity:
* a watch works by having regular mechanical movements
* The watch maker is resposible for the regularity in the watch
* regularity in the universe = designer
Is the DA more or less effective in its analogical form?
- God wouldn’t be the perfect intelligent designer if the universe didnt work with regularity
- Useful to have something we have with experience with compared to something we have less experience with
- The same cause does not mean the same outcome
What argument did Swinburne support?
the argument from probability
What is the argument from probability?
design in the universe increases the probability of the exsistance of God
It is more probable that God exists than God doesnt exist
What arguments did F.R Tenant support?
The asthetic argument
The anthropic principal
What is the asthetic argument?
the universe has a natural beauty beyond means of survival, must of been put there for humans to observe.
What is the anthropic principal?
The reason and purpose for the universe is for human survival
known as the goldilocks principal sometimes
What is the regularities of co-presence?
everyone fits together and shares space on earth.
What does Swinburne say about the regularities of co-presence?
Says in order to survive organisms must work together, and they must have spacial order.
e.g organ systems in the body work together to keep the human alive
What does Swinburne say about regularities of succession?
There is temporal order- laws of nature are absolute. One thing follows another in a predictable order
Give reasons that the DA is less effective than due to the asthetic arument, the regularities of succession and the anthropic principal
- order and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Lots of things are not beautiful e.g indian slums
- why has god taken millions of years of experimentation to create the human race
- Any animal could feel special like humans feel special and chosen
what is theism?
How God interacts with the universe and humans- imanent
what is deism?
God fine tuned the universe and then left the machinery to work without interference of any kind- transcendent
How does David Hume criticise the DA?
- analogies do not work well. Watch analogy is ‘false’ as there are not enough similarities between a watch and the universe( not as damaging as other criticisms)
Is the DA made less effective by David Hume’s criticisms?
- YES- we have so little experience of the world
- NO- all of science is based on inductive arguments
What problem did Darwin and Dawkins support?
The problem of evolution
What is the problem of evolution and how does it oppose the DA?
All species weren’t created, but evolved, or adapted over billions of years to suit their environment. Meaning God didn’t create/ design us with a purpose.
What problem did Hume and Mill support?
The problem of evil and suffering
How does the problem of Evil and suffering oppose the DA?
The world is not a beautiful ordered place, but one with poor design and an absence of order e.g wasp injects eggs into living catterpillar.
Meaning that God didnt deisgn it as everything would be ordered.
What problem did Hume support?
The problem of anthropomorphism
How does the problem of anthropomorphism oppose the DA
The watch analogy presents God as the watchmaker with human qualities e.g he could make mistakes. It removes God’s divine traits, makes him like a human not a God.
How damaging is the effect of evolution to the DA?
Evolution could be a part of God’s plan, so not very damaging.
How damaging is the effect of evil and suffering to the DA?
Evil and suffering is a result of free will given to humans by God, so not very damaging
How damaging is the effect of anthropomorphism to the DA?
It is only damaging if you rely on the argument from analogy which not all DAs do, damaging effect depends.
Is the DA made more effective by other criticisms?
Yes and No
YES
* There is evidence on the side of science
* rules out need for further explanation
NO
* Scientists could prove the DA wrong
