existence of god- observation-teleological Flashcards
Key philosophers
Aquinas
Paley
Hume
Darwin
What is Aquinas’s 5th way
the teleological/design argument
What does the arrow and archer example show?
anything that lacks knowledge needs something with knowledge to guide it
strengths of Aquinas’s 5th way
-examples in nature of non-thinking beings that act to achieve a purpose-i.e.sunflower turns to face sunlight
-arrow and archer- can assume natural things also directed to their purpose
-need an explanation for purpose- purpose is a sign of conscious mind- God
Weaknesses of Aquinas’s 5th way
-could be another explanation for apparent purpose- living beings look purposeful but have evolved to suit their environment- less well adapted species have died off
-Aquinas makes an assumption about purpose-what we assume to be purpose could be due to chance
-natural things do not have an innate purpose- it is a human construct
-Aquinas accused of logical fallacy-makes a logical leap to God of classical theism- even if we assume there is a designer there is no reason to assume the characteristics of this God
Paley’s examples of design
watch in a heath
eye
wing of a bird
Paley’s observations prove God
-purpose can be observed in living beings- i.e. bird wing
-design qua regularity can be observed through order and predictable patterns seen in nature- gravity
-even if watch is broken can infer watchmaker because of overall design and purpose-things in world that don’t work but still evidence of design
how does Paley respond to criticisms of apparent lack of purpose
even if we don’t understand how or why all the parts of the watch work , doesn’t detract from conclusion of a designer
Paley’s observations don’t prove God
-Hume- leap from observation to God-purpose and intentional design
-Darwin- natural selection
-some natural things don’t have purpose or design-wasp?appendix?
-physics-law of entropy- tendency towards disorder rather than order- no designing mind
-too many faults in world to suggest a God designed it
-Hume- God left or is malevolent
Challenging teleological argument
Hume- leap
Too many design flaws
Evolution
Problem of evil
Only 1 God?- Hume
Natural selection- Dawkins
What hypothesis does Hume use
The epicurean hypothesis
- given an infinite amount of time, eventually a stable environment would be created- randomness/chance
What does Hume say we can’t make assumptions about? + examples
-God!!!
-ship builder but when we meet him turns out to be a stupid mechanic
Hume- problems using observation
-can’t look at effects in world to make inferences about its cause
-can observe order and purpose in world but can’t apply same criteria to whole world- fallacy of composition
-pair of scales where one side is hidden- guessing on basis that we can’t see
Hume- problems using analogies
-Can lead to mistaken conclusions- aren’t universal- human circulatory system can apply to other animals but not plants with sap
What does Hume say the designer could be instead?
an infant deity- ashamed of their. creation of a flawed world
immoral
many designers
Hume- teleological makes too many assumptions
-Can’t assume because a man-made machine has a designer, world needs one too
-It assumes designer is monotheistic God
-It assumes there was intentional design rather than chance
-Fallacy of composition- just because eye has purpose doesn’t mean world does and therefore a designer
Hume is wrong- teleological doesn’t make too many assumptions
-Similar effects have similar causes- Paley- haven’t seen universe being made but can see from effects that there is a designer
-Hume takes analogy too far when talking about characteristics of designer
-Paley- can’t throw pieces of watch in air and expect to work- seems more incredible to believe in chance
-Paley only argues there is purpose within world
Darwin’s propositions
natural selection
evolution
survival of the fittest
adaptations
mutations
example of evolution
finches on Galapagos islands\
-on each island finches had evolved different shaped beaks depending on food source
How does evolution challenge the teleological argument?
-if species have survived due to adaptation to environment there is no need for a designer
-evolution is random-no purpose
-challenges status of mankind- we have evolved in same way as animals. where is soul of mankind?
Evolution explains ‘design’ in the world
-challenges design as explains regularity and purpose as a result of chance
-natural alternative explanation- world only appears designed because humans have made minds that design things with purpose or order
-natural selection is wasteful- creatures not well adapted die out- no designer
-evolution- natural process, no plan
Teleological explains design better than evolution
-Unlikely regularity and purpose came by chance- watch on heath- Paley
-Anthropic principle (Tennant)-god setup laws of physics that allowed evolution
- too much for it to have come by chance
-Paley- broken watch - can still tell it was designed- like world- there are elements of bad design but doesn’t rule out that there is design
-Aesthetic principle- beauty has no evolutionary advantage + must suggest a divine creator
however….
scientifically, blue/purple are easier for insects to pollenate
