Arguments for God's existence

Question 1

Paley’s teleological argument

Answer 1

Analogy of the watch:
If you found a watch you would assume that due to it’s intricate design and many working parts that it had a designer or a watch maker.
One could therefore argue that the world is also intricate and made up of complex working parts and compare the world to a watch.
Therefore the world must also have a designer and maker and we could call this designer God.

Question 2

Hume’s criticism of Paley’s analogy

Answer 2

Epicurean hypothesis: random things can come together to form a pattern.

Aptness of analogy: watch and the world aren’t comparable.

Anthropomorphis: if God designed the world, who designer him?

Question 3

Criticisms of Hume’s objection to Paley

Answer 3

Swinburne: world is too complex to have happened by chance.

Davies: only non-material could order material.

Occam’s Razor: simpler explanations avoid inconsistencies.

Question 4

Definition of types of argument

Answer 4

Teleological argument: from observation

Cosmological argument: from observation

Ontological argument: from reason

Question 5

Michael Behe

Answer 5

The eye: the eye can be used as an example of design but also as imperfection.

Bacteria flagellum: too complex to have been created by chance , instead it must have been designed.

Question 6

Swinburne’s teleological argument

Answer 6

Agreed that Darwin’s theory defeated the initial argument, however he argues that even evolution is subject to laws f the universe.
He says that religion explains how things work, science explains why things work.

Question 7

Teleological argument-

Objections to Swinburne

Answer 7

Mark Twain: “the world is not created as an amazing habitat for man; man exists because of the world”

We make God in our image from the world to feel purpose and to feel close to him.

Question 8

Teleological argument-

Darwin, Dawkins and christian response

Answer 8

Darwin: evidence that the universe is not designed but rather evolved instead.

Christian response: Tennant’s anthropic principle- “nature is meaningless without God behind it”- God caused evolution, it was a process of design.

Dawkins: just because something is complex doesn’t mean there isn’t an explanation.

Question 9

Cosmological argument-

Aquinas’ first way

Answer 9

First way:
Prime mover: unmoved mover = God
No infinite regress
God set it all in motion

Criticism: there is the possibility of infinite regress, just unsure how.

Question 10

Cosmological argument-

Aquinas’ second way

Answer 10

Second way:
Nothing causes itself therefore there needs to be a first cause= efficient cause= God

Criticism: There is no way of establishing the principle of the cause

Question 11

Cosmological argument-

Aquinas’ third way

Answer 11

Third way:
A necessary being must have existed to bring contingent beings into existence
Necessary being = God

Criticisms: Hume- no position about existence can be logically necessary
No being is ever fully necessary

Question 12

Cosmological argument-

Aquinas’ fifth way

Answer 12

Fifth way:

The purpose of everything in the universe is in line with Aristotle= everything has a purpose (telos)

Question 13

Cosmological argument- Lebniz

Answer 13

The world we is contingent and constantly changing- whatever is changing lacks within itself the reason for existing.
There is sufficient reasoning for everything existing within and outside itself for its existence.
Therefore there must be a cause beyond itself for its existence, this cause is either cause or efficient.
There could never be infinite regress of causes because this will never provide a sufficient reason.
Therefore there must be a first cause for the world in it’s own sufficient.

Question 14

Cosmological argument- Lebniz criticism

Answer 14

Kant:
No way of reasoning that finite events to transcendent causes.
Truth rests on linguistic interpretation.

Question 15

Cosmological argument- Martin Lee

Answer 15

Lee argues that the cosmological argument rest on a confusion as either God is something or nothing.

If God is something then one must ask who caused God?
If God is nothing then nothing cannot be a source/cause of all contingent things.

Lee rejects the idea that a self-explanatory ‘necessary’ something

Question 16

Ontological argument- Anselm

Answer 16

Proslogian 2: “the fool says in his heart there is no God”
God: “that which nothing greater can be perceived”
Anselm argues that eve the fool understands his definition of God, he reasons that in order for God to be perfect he must exist because a real £1 million is better than an imaginary one.

Premis 1: existence in reality is greater than existence in understanding alone.

Question 17

Ontological argument- analogy of the island

Answer 17

1. We can all imagine an island which is the greatest conceivable island.
2. It is greater in existence (reality)
3. Therefore the greatest conceivable island must exist in reality.

Question 18

Anselm’s critique of the analogy of the island

Answer 18

An island is contingent, it needs a creator. Whereas God is necessary.
Once you have accepted the existence of a greater being then you have accepted God

Question 19

Guanilo’s criticism of the analogy of the island

Answer 19

Anselm is defining things into existence- anything could be said to exist when given the quality “greatest”

Everyone has a different view of perfection- a person’s description of God cannot be used to prove his existence.

Question 20

Plantinga’s criticism of the analogy of the island

Answer 20

An island can always be improved.

However God by definition can’t be “the idea of a greatest possible island is an inconsistent idea”