Design Argument Flashcards
The design argument is also known as the…
Teleological Argument
What is the basis of the design argument?
The universe is ordered towards a telos (end goal/purpose) and so must have been designed by God, who therefore must exist!
Is the design argument inductive or deductive? Why?
Inductive - it argues that our experience of order and regularity in the world are evidence of design.
Is the design argument a priori or a posteriori?
A posteriori - it is based on our sense-experience of the order and regularity in the universe.
Who are the key scholars of the design argument?
Paley
Swinburne
Tenant
Hume (criticises!)
What are Paley’s two arguments?
Argument from purpose
Argument from regularity
What is Paley’s argument from purpose?
Seeing a stone on a heath requires no explanation - it is natural for the stone to be there.
However, a watch on a heath would require further explanation - from the watches appearance we infer that it was designed to fulfil a purpose by a watchmaker and is not naturally among a heath!
Similarly, the universe also shows evidence of design to fulfil a purpose so must have been designed.
What is Paley’s argument from regularity?
A watch works by regular consistent mechanical movements.
So does the universe (e.g. water cycle!)
The watches regularity was designed by a watchmaker, similarly the universes regularity must also have been designed!
How does Hume criticise Paley?
Analogies are limited, especially when on their own in the argument. Especially this analogy as the watch is a machine, but the universe is an organic entity!
We can’t know about the cause of the design of the universe just because we see the design. We also can’t link the design of the universe to Paley’s Christian God.
Our experiences are limited. We know that watchmakers design and make watches due to experience. We don’t know for sure that the universe has a universe-maker too.
What are the two regularities that Swinburne uses to contribute to the design argument?
Regularities of co-presence and succession.
What does Swinburne’s regularity of co-presence argue?
Organisms exhibit their spatial order, all parts work well together (Paley also argues this using an eye)
What does Swinburne’s regularity of succession argue?
Temporal order (the laws of nature) is so absolute that one thing always succeeds another predictably
e.g. hydrogen and oxygen, when present together, always undoubtedly form H2O
What is Ockham’s razor?
The theory that the simplest explanation is most likely to be the correct explanation.
What is the anthropic principle?
The idea that the universe’s reason and purpose is to support human life.
What does weak anthropic principle argue?
If the universe wasn’t suited to human life, we wouldn’t be here.
