Arguments Relating To The Existence Of God - Teleological Arguements Flashcards
What are the teleological arguements
The teleological arguments are also known as arguments from design, they aim to show that certain features of nature or laws of nature are so perfect that they must have been designed by a designer, God.
What is the argument from analogy (as presented by Hume)?
Hume’s argument draws an analogy between things designed by humans and nature:
- The ‘fitting of means to ends’ in human designs, resembles the ‘fitting of means to ends’ in nature
- Similar effects have similar causes
- The cause of human designs, are minds
- So, by analogy, the cause of design in nature is also a mind
- And, given the ‘grandeur of the work’ of nature, this other mind is God.
What is the argument from analogy (as presented by Hume)?
What is spatial order?
Means that you can explain or describe objects as they are arranged around you in space.
/complex arrangement of things in physical space.
(PARTS)
What is William Paley’s design argument: argument from spatial order/purpose. [formally stated]
P1) A watch has certain complex features of spatial order and purpose (e.g: has parts which fit together for a purpose)
P2) Anything which exhibits these features must be designed
P3) Therefore, the watch has a designer
P4) The universe possesses features of spatial order and purpose, but in far greater proportion
P5) Therefore, the universe has been designed, but by a far more intelligent designer than a human designer
C) This being, we call God
Explain William Paley’s design argument: argument from spatial order/purpose.
(Payley compares man-made objects, such as a watch, with certain aspects of nature, such as a stone)
If you found a stone in a field, you might assume it has been there forever, but that wouldn’t work for the watch, because it has parts organised (spatial order) for a purpose. Payley says this is the HALLMARK OF DESIGN
Parts of nature also have parts organised for a purpose (spacial order/purpose)
So like the watch, it has the HALLMARK OF DESIGN but nature is more impressive than the watch, so must have been designed by a greater being (God.)
How do you weaken an analogy?
An analogy is only as strong as the similarities between the two things being compared (nature and human beings) Differences between them will weaken the jump from one to another.
Hume: Problems with the analogy (differences between the things being compared)
- We can observe human-made items being made, but we have no such experience in the case of nature. Designs in nature could be the result of natural processes.
- Human machines (eg watches) obviously have a designer and a purpose. But biological things (animals/plants) do not always have an obvious purpose (eg: male nipples) or designer. The universe is more like a biological thing than a machine, so by analogy, it is better explained by an unconscious natural process rather than the conscious design of a mind.
Hume: Problems with the analogy (unique case)
The analogy focuses on specific aspects of nature that appear to be designed and generalises this to the conclusion that the whole universe must be designed.
Hume: Spatial disorder argument against teleological argument
Argues that while there are examples of spacial order there are also many examples of spacial disorder in the universe which is evidence against design.
Examples of disorder in the universe (Hume: spacial disorder)
- There are huge areas in the universe that are empty or just filled with uninhabitable rocks.
–> This suggests that the universe isn’t designed but rather just happened, and by coincidence, there are parts with spacial order. - Some parts of the world (ed earthquakes) go wrong and cause chaos
–> Hume argues that if the world was designed these chaotic features suggest it was designed badly - Animals have bodies which are subject to pain and disease when they could have been made in a way to avoid this
–> If God had made them, you would expect He would make them in a way for them to live better lives.
What does Hume say about the examples of spacial disorder?
He argues that such examples show that the universe isn’t designed or the designer is neither omnipotent nor omnibenevolent (as God is claimed to be.)
Hume: Causation argument against teleological argument
- Hume famously argued that we never experience causation, only constant conjunction and if it happens enough times we infer that A causes B.
- You cannot infer causation from a single instance (eg: lightning example)
- applied to teleological arguments: the origin of the universe is unique
- to make an inference about the cause of the universe we would need to experience the origins of many universes
- which we have/can not
Hume: Finite matter, infinite time argument against teleological argument
Hume’s objection assumes the following
- time is infinite
- matter is finite
–> Given these assumptions it is inevitable that matter will organise itself into combinations that appear to be designed.
Example to explain Hume: finite matter/infinite time argument
Given enough time a monkey will eventually type the complete works of Shakespeare.
The point is not that the money will learn to type or understand what they are typing but that given an infinite amount of time, it will write EVERYTHING.
