Modern design argument

Question 1

who are the MDA thinkers

Answer 1

Tennant and Swinburne

Question 2

who is associated with AP

Answer 2

Tennant

Anthropic principle

Question 3

what is the anthropic principle

Answer 3

explored conditions needed for mankind
the purpose of evolution allows the design argument to work
directed by intelligence which allows conditions for humanity
precise features, physical, astronomical, thermal
too many coincidences for it to be chance, must have been a guiding hand

Question 4

what is the fine tuning argument 2p

Answer 4

p1 universe is finely tuned for the creation of life and demonstrates regularity in its laws of physics which life wouldn’t be possible without

p2 can’t be the result of chance, too many coincidences for chance to explain it

C
therefore, there must be a designer of the universe: God

Question 5

weakness of the fine tuning argument about probabilities and premises

Answer 5

one probability vs another

gap in premises, why can’t it be chance: gaps in knowledge

Question 6

weakness of the fine tuning argument about God

Answer 6

strong anthropic principle doesn’t assign itself to a god
could be accused of deism
god fine-tuned the universe and then didn’t interfere since

Question 7

weakness of the fine tuning argument about humans

Answer 7

human existence has been a small part of the universe’s history
universe is not fine tuned for humans

Question 8

what is Swinburne’s stance concerning the design argument

Answer 8

a probability based stance

Question 9

Swinburne’s mda

Answer 9

the design and order we see in the universe increases God’s probability

science explains majority of universe’s regularities, but still logical to believe God created the universe

Question 10

what argument does Swinburne rework and call what

Answer 10

Paley’s arguement

spatial order

Question 11

what is Swinburne’s spatial order

Answer 11

nature is a machine making machine, it produces us and we learn to make machines

all parts of the world have to work well together to survive, animals, plants, humans

in the same way God created machines, God is creator of nature

Question 12

weakness of Swinburne’s spatial order from Swinburne

Answer 12

only has certain probability, circumstances where nature acts as a machine-making machine are rare

Question 13

what is good about Swinburne’s temporal order

Answer 13

stronger

more probable than not that God exists

Question 14

what is Swinburne’s temporal order

Answer 14

laws of nature are so absolute, one thing always succeeds another in a predictable order, the regularities of succession

temporal order of the world is overwhelmingly obvious, we can use it to predict the future, e.g. sun will rise

high degree of order in the universe, for S, evidence of a personal conscious God

Question 15

what is a weakness of Swinburne’s temporal order

Answer 15

no wonder we have order, it exists because we have nothing else to find
we shouldn’t be surprised by it and conclude God’s existence from it

Question 16

what is the best explanation of Tennant and Swinburne

Answer 16

both hypothesises that there’s a designer relies on the idea God is the best explanation for the universe

abductive, most likely and simplest explanation

Question 17

MDA in 4 premises and conclusion

Answer 17

P1: we see the universe in special features

P2: these features can’t be explained by natural science

P3: the presence of these features can be made sense of by God’s existence

P4: where an explanation makes sense of certain features that can’t be explained otherwise, it’s probably right

C: therefore, God exists

Question 18

What is an argument against intelligent design DE

Answer 18

Darwinist explanation

simplicity to complexity, can be traced back to simpler replicating molecules

Question 19

what are the three arguments against the anthropic principle and best explanation

Answer 19

the fallacy

depends on observer

depends on belief

Question 20

what is the fallacy against the anthropic principle and best explanation

Answer 20

any successful species will interpret the world as specifically adapted to them because, if it wasn’t, they wouldn’t be here

Question 21

what is ‘depends on observer’ against the anthropic principle and best explanation

Answer 21

what seems ordered in one respect can appear chaotic in another
e.g. a rugby game

we could look at it as meaningless in the way everything moves

took billions of years of experimentation for humans, was this necessary?

Question 22

what is ‘depends on belief’ against the anthropic principle and best explanation

Answer 22

background belief or pre-set views

you will try to prove your pre-existing belief

Question 23

What are the alternative solutions

Darwin (1), Dawkins (4)

Answer 23

The theory of evolution

The blind watch maker
Illusion of design
Memes
Survival machines

Question 24

what is the theory of evolution as an alternative solution

Answer 24

Charles Darwin

All organisms are adapting all the time to a changing environment

humans become dominant through intelligent design, not special act of God’s design

Paley: organisms are designed to suit their environments, e.g. birds have wings

Question 25

what is ‘the blind watch maker’ as an alternative solution

Answer 25

Dawkins

against Paley’s analogy

“gloriously an utterly wrong”

a watchmaker designs with foresight

the only watchmaker in nature is natural selection which is unable to have foresight

Physics is the blind watch maker, an unconscious and automatic process

Question 26

what is ‘the illusion of design’ as an alternative solution

Answer 26

natural selection is so impressive, creates an illusion of design

genes alone are responsible for intelligent life

genes are selfish, there’s a struggle for survival

Question 27

what are ‘memes’ as an alternative solution

Answer 27

ideas that have also been operated on natural selection

we inherit some of the cultural values of those who came on before us from those strong enough to pass it on

appreciation of beauty is nothing more than a part of the survival mechanism

Question 28

‘survival machines’ as an alternative solution

Answer 28

purely mechanical univers, biologists impulses drive life

humans are survival machines

development of life on earth is because of the genetic foundations for that life, it’s inevitable