Aquinas’ 5th way Flashcards
What observation did Aquinas make about natural objects and beings?
Aquinas observed that natural objects and beings do not behave randomly but move towards a certain goal or purpose (end/telos).
According to Aquinas, how do natural objects act to attain their purpose?
Natural objects act ‘always, or nearly always’ in the same way to ‘obtain the best result,’ meaning to attain their purpose.
What does Aquinas argue is indicated by the regularity and goal-directed behavior of natural objects?
The regularity and goal-directed behavior of natural objects indicate that it is not mere chance that they behave in this way, but that they are directed towards specific goals or purposes.
Give examples of goal-directed behaviors in nature that Aquinas might use to illustrate his point.
: Examples include flowers moving in alignment with the sun to get more sunlight, acorns growing into oak trees, water participating in the water cycle, and planets orbiting the Sun.
What does Aquinas want us to notice about the behavior of objects in the world?
Aquinas wants us to notice that objects do not behave randomly but exhibit regularity and goal-directed behavior, which suggests they are directed towards specific ends.
Why can’t things in the world direct themselves towards their end, according to Aquinas?
Things in the world cannot direct themselves towards their end because they are either non-intelligent or insufficiently intelligent. Such things cannot move towards an end unless directed by a being with intelligence.
What is required for a thing to reliably move with a purpose, according to Aquinas?
A thing cannot reliably move with a purpose unless an intelligent being had that purpose in mind and directed its behavior.
How does Aquinas illustrate the necessity of an intelligent director for goal-oriented behavior?
Aquinas uses the example of an archer and an arrow: the arrow hits the target not because it is intelligent, but because the archer, who has intelligence, directed it towards the target with a goal in mind.
What does the archer and arrow analogy demonstrate in Aquinas’ argument?
The analogy demonstrates that non-intelligent things (like arrows) can achieve their ends only if directed by an intelligent being (like an archer) who has the end goal in mind.
How does God’s ability to direct the behavior of things differ from human ability, according to Aquinas?
God’s ability is much greater than human ability; God directs the behavior of objects by creating natural laws that govern and regulate all objects towards the end that God has in mind for them.
How does God direct the behavior of objects, according to Aquinas?
God directs the behavior of objects by creating natural laws that govern and regulate them towards the end that God has in mind.
What analogy does Aquinas use to compare God’s direction of the universe to human action?
Aquinas compares God’s direction of the universe to an archer directing an arrow: just as an archer makes an arrow goal-directed, God makes everything in the world goal-directed.
What conclusion does Aquinas draw from the analogy of the archer and the arrow?
Aquinas concludes that just as an arrow requires an archer to be goal-directed, the universe requires a God to be goal-directed.
What does Aquinas argue must exist for the universe to be goal-directed?
Aquinas argues that there must be a God, the ultimate archer, who directs the universe towards its end.
Argument summarised
P1: The behaviour of objects is goal-directed towards an end, because they follow natural laws.
P2: Natural laws cannot have been created by objects themselves, since they are non-intelligent or insufficiently intelligent.
C1: Natural laws must have an intelligent designer. ‘That thing we call God.’
