Arguments for existence of God based ob observation?

Question 1

Summarise Aquinas’ teleological argument

Answer 1

Aquinas’ fifth way
Arrow and archer analogy: Objects seems to have a purpose; they move towards an end. Inanimate objects cannot move themselves, therefore they must have a guiding hand behind it- just like an arrow cannot propel itself. This being we call God.

Question 2

What was the teleological argument put across by William Paley?

Answer 2

Analogy of the pocket watch: If you saw a pocket watch on the heath you would not assume that it fell into place by chance. Obviously there was a designer. Paley argues the same principle can be applied to the order and complexity of the universe.

Question 3

Who put across the anthropic principle in 1930?

Answer 3

Frederick R. Tennant

Question 4

What is the anthropic principle?

Answer 4

The universe was designed in such a way that it is meant to support intelligent life. There must have been some built in factor which made the development of human life inevitable.

Question 5

What is Tennant referring to with his ‘Aesthetic principle’

Answer 5

He refers to the fact that humans are able to experience awe and beauty in nature. According to natural selection this appreciation of beauty in no way helps us survive. Tennant says therefore this ability must have been put in place by God.

Question 6

Summarise Richard Swinburne’s fine tuning argument

Answer 6

At the beginning of the universe, there were certain conditions such as the gravitational constant that needed to be just so in order for life to develop. Swinburne uses the very fine probability (analogy of kidnapper and bomb) to justify that it is the most probable explanation that the universe was designed (Ockham’s razor and abductive reasoning)

Question 7

What were some of Hume’s criticisms of Paley’s watch argument?

Answer 7

1: Order is a necessary part of the world’s existence. If there was no order then the universe would not be able to sustain human life, and we would not be able to say that there was no order.
2: The recognition of order is flawed because we have no other universe to compare to this one.

Question 8

What is Kant’s criticism of teleological arguments?

Answer 8

We cannot be sure that order even exists in the world- humans naturally categorise and order their own experiences so it could just be us projecting order into the world when there isn’t any.

Question 9

How does the problem of evil contradict teleological arguments, particularly the aesthetic principle?

Answer 9

The awe and beauty in the world is cancelled out by the amount of suffering. Logical problem of evil is enough to prove that God is not all loving

Question 10

How do ideas about natural selection put forward by Darwin and used by Dawkins critique the notion of purpose in nature?

Answer 10

The apparent purpose seen in nature is a result of natural selection- those organisms with useful characteristics survive whereas those without die. So at the end only those with useful characteristics remain and reproduce, giving the impression of designed characteristics.

Question 11

What does idea does Dawkins use to refute the aesthetic principle?

Answer 11

Idea of ‘memes’ passed on through cultural inheritance: we inherit some cultural values of those who came before us who were strong enough to pass on her genes

Question 12

Generally, what do cosmological arguments do?

Answer 12

They look at the universe and try to answer the question ‘why is there something rather than nothing’

Question 13

Summarise Aquinas’ first way argument

Answer 13

Things are moving. Anything that is moving has to have been put into motion by something else that was already moving. This chain of movement would keep going back in an infinite regress (illogical) if there wasn’t some kind of unmoved mover to start the chain of motion off. This being we call God.

Question 14

Summarise Aquinas’ second way argument

Answer 14

Every effect has a cause. But if you keep going back you cannot have a cause of a cause of a cause infinitely, otherwise this would cause an infinite regression. So there must be an uncaused causer to start the chain of causes off (God)

Question 15

Summarise Aquinas’ third way (from contingency)

Answer 15

We are contingent beings, meaning we depend on other factors for our existence. But a contingent being cannot depend on another contingent being and so on, otherwise nothing could have the possibility to exist. So there must be a necessary being on which all other contingent beings depend. This is God.

Question 16

How is Leibniz’ principle of sufficient reason a strength of the cosmological argument?

Answer 16

Leibniz argues that for any contingent being there must be a reason for its existence. Man has not been able to find a sufficient reason for the existence for the universe within the universe itself- so the answer lies outside it.

Question 17

How did Kant critique Aquinas’ second way?

Answer 17

The notion of cause and effect only applies to the world of sense experience. We cannot apply this idea to God, who is outside time and space. So there is no justification that God created the universe

Question 18

What was Hume’s ‘inductive leap’ challenge to Aquinas?

Answer 18

Aquinas is guilty of an inductive leap when his logic leads from an uncaused causer and an unmoved mover to the God of classical theism. According to Aquinas’ logic it could have been many Gods, or even the big bang. In fact, Aquinas’ reasoning points more to a deist idea of God- an unmoved mover, uncaused causer necessary being who is transcendent.