Arguments for the Existence of God Flashcards
Main scholar in the DA
William Paley
Main scholar in the CA
St Thomas Aquinas
Main scholar in the OA
St Anselm
Teleological
‘Telos’ - end or purpose
‘Logica’ - logic or reasoning
Empirical evidence
Evidence gained through observation
The DA uses which type of knowledge and evidence?
A posteriori knowledge and empirical evidence
A posteriori
Knowledge after sense experiece
A priori
Knowledge before sense experience - logic and reasoning
Inductive argument
Uses a posteriori reasoning, not 100 percentage factually true
Deductive argument
If the premises are true, the conclusion is 100% true
Paley’s observations of the universe
- Complexity
- Regularity
- Purpose
His analogy was the…
Watch analogy
Explain Paley’s analogy
His analogy: When walking across rough ground, stubbing one’s toe against a stone wouldn’t raise the question how it came to be there. In coming across a watch, it would be reasonable to ask that question.
- Observation would point to the sheer complexity and detail of a watch, suitability and purpose,
- This would not be by chance, it would require explanation, there must be an intelligent watch maker.
- The universe is similarly complex, it shows the same suitability, precision and arrangement to serve it’s purpose.
- This couldn’t have occurred by chance - it must’ve been designed by a universe maker.
- The far greater complexity of the world requires an infinitely greater designer.
- This designer must be God.
State the key quotation associated with Paley’s watch analogy
‘The marks of design are too strong to be gotten over. Design must have had a designer. That designer must have been a person. That person is God’
List the four illustrations that Paley provided to support his argument
- Eye is complex
- Fins and gills of a fish
- Birds bones and feathers
- Planetary orbits
Design qua purpose
Everything that is designed has a purpose e.g., machines were designed to manufacture
Design qua regularity
Everything that is designed has been designed for order and regularity e.g., the seasons provide structure and order
True of false
The statement written by a student in an exam is valid: ‘…Hume criticised Paley…’
False - Hume and Paley were different time periods, Hume died several years before Paley’s natural theology
Hume compared the universe to a…
Vegetable
Epicurean hypothesis
Initially, all the atoms were scattered and not ordered, eventually, overtime, they came together forming a period of order from a period of chaos
Explain Hume’s criticism of anthropomorphism
We have no knowledge of universe designing, so we create God in our image, therefore, the designer may not necessarily be a God of classical theism
Explain Hume’s criticism of mortal bodies
Intelligent minds are capable of design, could they be attached to mortal bodies
Explain Hume’s criticism of teamwork
Teamwork is often behind designed, it may be possible that the universe was designed by a number of deities
Explain Hume’s criticism of the universe being a vegetable
Doesn’t require explanation in terms of a designer, it just grows without influence or design