arguments for the existence of god: design arguement Flashcards
Who is the key philosopher behind the Design Argument?
William Paley
What is another name for the Design Argument?
The Analogical Argument
The Design Argument is ‘a posteriori’. What does this mean?
Arguments that depend on sense experience -> it is empirical in nature
The Design Argument is ‘inductive’. What does this mean?
Based on probability, the conclusion is not necessarily true, the stronger the evidence for it, the more likely it is to be true
The Design Argument is ‘analogical’. What does this mean?
Based on the comparison between the features of two different things
What approach does Paley’s argument use?
Natural Theology (also the name of Paley’s book)
-> the view that questions about God can be answered by reasoning rather than special revelation such as the Bible
Paley argues that his argument is based on three observations of the world. What are these observations?
- Complexity
- Purpose
- Regularity
Explain Paley’s watchmaker analogy
You’re on an deserted island and you find a watch.
A watch cannot simply appear by itself as it is too complex
This means there must be other life as only a watchmaker is qualified to design a watch
How does Paley’s watchmaker analogy link to evidence of a creator?
The watch is a complex thing that cannot be simply formed. The complexity of the universe is so much greater, something so complex cannot simply be formed therefore a designer of the universe must exist.
What illustrations does Paley give to support his argument?
- Eye is perfectly adapted for vision
- Fins and gills of fish are perfect for living in water
- Birds bones, wings and feathers are perfect for flight
- There is regularity in the universe seen in the orbits of the planets and the seasons on earth
Hume’s Criticism 1: Rejected the idea of design
Hume said a mechanistic analogy is inappropriate, what justification did he give for this?
(remember Hume’s criticism were not directly to Paley’s argument and was a broad argument to all analogical arguments as Hume died before Paley published Natural Theology)
- The watchmaker analogy is flawed as it was chosen on purpose to encourage the idea of a designer (bias?)
- A more appropriate example would a living organism such as a vegetable as it shows not everything needs a designer
Hume’s Criticism 1: Rejected the idea of design
Hume said apparent order could be due to chance, what justification did he give for this?
(remember Hume’s criticism were not directly to Paley’s argument and was a broad argument to all analogical arguments as Hume died before Paley published Natural Theology)
- Hume argued the constantly changing arrangements of the atoms over a period of time would have eventually caused order
- Hume also argued that there could be periods of chaos and periods of order in the world and by sheer chance, existence is currently in a period of order
Hume’s Criticism 2: Little can be said about any designer
Hume said the mechanistic analogy is anthromorphic, what justification did he give for this?
(remember Hume’s criticism were not directly to Paley’s argument and was a broad argument to all analogical arguments as Hume died before Paley published Natural Theology)
- Humans have no idea about how to make a universe so how can we know the nature or capacities of a universe designer
- Watchmaker analogy makes a watchmaker in our image
- The designer is not necessarily the God of Christian theism, perhaps there was a person who designed everything yet dead as intelligent minds are attached to physical bodies or perhaps there is even a teamwork of designers. There is no way to actually know
Hume’s Criticism 2: Little can be said about any designer
Hume said the problem of evil disproves any analogical argument, what justification did he give for this?
(remember Hume’s criticism were not directly to Paley’s argument and was a broad argument to all analogical arguments as Hume died before Paley published Natural Theology)
- The existence of so much natural and moral evil shows the evidence of a flawed designer
- Hume believed God’s omnipotence and omnibenevolence to be incompatible with existence of evil bringing God’s characteristics into question
What are some strengths of William Paley’s design argument?
- Occam’s Razor -> The existence of a single omnipotent God is the simplest explanation
- Paley said evil might be needed in order to bring around good
- Swinburne argued that evolution itself requires an explanation and it is not compatible with theism
- Paley argues that nature shows intention and the anthropic principle (view that the conditions of the universe are specific for intelligent life to be able to form) furthers this proof.
