Inductive Arguments Flashcards
A Posteriori
On the basis of experience
Aesthetic Principle
Belief that humans have an inherent appreciation for things such as art, music, literature and nature which does not add to our survival as a species
Anthropic principle
Concept that all fundamental features of the universe are necessary as they are for the origin, development and maintenance of human life
Aquinas
13th century Dominican priest, commonly regarded as one of the most I flue risk philosophers and theologians of the Roman Catholic Church
Contingency
Something which may or may not be
William lane craig
One of the proponents of the modern day Kalam aspect of the cosmological argument
Empirical
Based on what is experienced or seen
Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit
Out of nothing, nothing comes
Five ways
Aquinas five-fold basis or proof for the existence of god (prime mover, first cause, necessary being, absolute value and divine designer)
Inductive
Argument constructed on possibly true premises reaching a logically possible and persuasive conclusion
Kalam argument
Argument for existence of a personal creator based on the idea of the universe being finite and having a beginning
William Paley
18th century archdeacon of Carlisle, famed for his watchmaker analogy
Frederick Tennant
19/20th century philosopher who developed forms of aesthetic arguments to infer the existence of an intelligent designer behind the universe
Watchmaker analogy
Analogy by William Paley, relates to the intricacies and design of a watch to imply an intelligent “universe maker” i.e. God
Library with infinite books analogy
Analogy used by William lane craig to show the impossibility of an actual infinity
Archer and arrow analogy
Used by Aquinas to explain his teleological argument
Design Qua Purpose (Paley)
Designed for a purpose e.g. human eye
Design Qua Regularity (Paley)
Referring to things in the natural world that move or act according to a set pattern
RUM (acronym for Tennant)
R - Rationality… Tennant believes the universe can be rationally understood and so rational to assume there is a designer
U - Unlikely… the universe and intelligent life existing is incredibly unlikely
M - Man… mankind is wonderful - links to aesthetic argument
Humes criticisms
- infinite regress is as possible as God
- arguments from analogy are weak
- apparent design
- we gave no empirical evidence of worlds being made
- the fallacy of composition
- the argument does not demonstrate the existence of God
Criticisms of the inductive arguments
- Hume
- The Big Bang
- Darwinian Evolution
- Sub-Atomic Particles
