Observation Flashcards
Inductive reasoning
when you make true statements based on observation which logically support a conclusion but this conclusion can be proved false, however the state,ents themselves may still be true
Deductive reasoning
when you start with a true starting conclusion and seek evidence through observation to make statements to support the final conclusion, the statements are intended to logically guarantee that the conclusion is true
What is Aquinas’ fifth way?
the argument from harmony-
the world is generally harmonious working towards a purpose, there must be something that exists by which all things are directed towards as their end goal/purpose - God
What analogy can be used for Aquinas’ fifth way?
a bow and arrow
What was Aquinas influenced by?
Aristotles four cause telos
Is Aquinas’ fifth way inductive or deductive?
inductive
Strengths of Aquinas’ fifth way
- anyone can observe order in the world
- it is relatively easy to observe the natural world working to a purpose
Weaknesses of Aquinas’ fifth way
- Aquinas doesn’t directly say what the purpose of the world is other than God
- there is evidence that humans, animals and plants adapt over time to pass on the most successful traits for survival, therefore giving the illusion of design when there is none
- Aquinas ignores cases where the purpose of the natural world is not good
What is Paley’s design argument?
the watch analogy & the eye analogy
What are Hume’s three criticisms of Paley’s argument?
- aptness of analogy
- the epicurean thesis
- argument from effect to cause
What does Humes aptness of analogy mean?
analogies are not ‘apt’ (appropriate or sufficient) because they move from a situation we know or have evidence about to one we simply do not
What does Hume’s epicurean thesis mean?
in order for the world to exist at all it would need to world together - without the world working together at some point we would not be here to observe the world that did not seem designed or did not seen to be working together. the universe was made simply by chance
What does Hume’s argument from efficient to cause mean?
we cannot go from looking at the effects of something to proposing a cause without evidence
What are Mill’s criticisms of the design argument?
argues that the premises of the arguments by Aquinas and Paley while may be true to an extent and not the only observations we can make
he argued that natural evil can lead us to conclude that…
* the creatorof our universe is flawed in some way as they are unable to design a perfect universe
* there is simpy no designer at all
What is Darwin’s argument?
- design arguments are flawed because they approach nature as if it was created all at once but actually it evolved iver time, weaking the argument for a designer
Strengths of the design argument
- his argument is simple
- he makes the conclusion that the designer of the universe is transcendent - people are likely to agree that someone at the same level as humans would not have the ability to create the universe
- recognises the complexity of the world and say that things cannot be this complex without a design
Weaknesses of the design argument
- the designer of the world is not necessarily God - some may argue that it could be another higher being or a group of higher beings
- how can there be evil in the world if the designer is all-loving and all-powerful
- jumps from observation to cause withour evidence
What is the theory of natural selection?
the most succesful species stay alive as they can adapt to their surroundings. these species pass on their mutations to their offspring
What does Tennant argue about natural selection and its link to God?
- natural selection and evolution show us that there is a God as evolution is evidence of a desiger; God
- the world has evolved in such a way that it is the perfect habitat for human life to flourish which shows that it must have been designed for the purpose of humans
What is the principle of Ockham’s Razor and who uses it?
- the theory with the smallest amount of assumptions is the one mostly likely to be correct (essentially the simplist idea)
- used by Swinburne
For Swinburne, which argument is the most possible solution for the creation of the world and why?
evidence of design (Paley) and evidence of universal rules (Aquinas) because they are the simplist arguments (Ockham’s Razor)
What is Aquinas’ cosmological argument made up of?
three ways:
1. prime mover
2. first cause
3. necessity and contingency
What is Aquinas’ first way?
Prime Mover:
* everthing has to be moved by something
* it cannot be endless or go to infinity (infinite regress)
* there has to be a first mover that itself is unmoved; God
What is Aquinas’ second way?
First Cause:
* everything must be caused by something
* everything has a cause that is different from itself
* it is impossible for something to cause itself
* there must be a first cause which is itself uncaused; God
