(C) - John Stuart Mill Flashcards
what deals a significant blow to the design argument?
Evil and suffering
what does mill argue?
That the most we can claim is that the designer of the universe might be benevolent but must be seriously limited in power to allow such suffering
“if the maker of the world can do all that he will, he wills misery & there is no escaping that conclusion”
What do Mil and David Hume see evil as?
An absence of order (called the Dysteleological argument)
- a form of the argument for poor design
what are examples of poor design?
- pointless existence of the appendix in humans
- pointless existence of wings on flightless birds (ostriches)
- proportions of DNA that serves no purpose
what does John Stuart Mill argue that universe is not?
An orderly, harmonious, purposeful and beautiful place as one expects an intelligent designer to create
What does this ‘disorder’ suggest?
A lack of design or a designer with limited power