Telelologocial

Question 1

What is the definition of a posteriori argument , how is it applied to this chapter ?

Answer 1

• reasoning that uses observation or experiences to reach conclusions.
• through observing our surroundings, to decide whether what we see points to the existence of good in some way.

Question 2

what is the definition of teleological ?

Answer 2

• to do with somethings purpose or goal or end point

Question 3

What is the teleological argument ?

Answer 3

• ‘study of’ purpose or ‘telos’, everything in nature has a telos to which it works towards.

Question 4

Paley - teleological = what was paley influenced by ?

Answer 4

• influenced by scientific discoveries - realisation that gravity is a controlling force and planets rotate around sun.
• Isaac newton showed a few key rules that govern universe - like machine.

Question 5

What was the sense of regularity paley had ?

Answer 5

• he observed complex objects work with regularity
  E.g seasons of year have a order, gravity has an order
• he believed this order was the result of a designer who put it deliberately into place

Question 6

What did Paley believe about PURPOSE ?

Answer 6

• things put together with a purpose in mind
• e.g eye has a purpose - to see
  -e.g wings of a bird are so intricate and seem to be designed to fly
• Paley thought god was the designer

Question 7

What was the analogy of the watch ?

Answer 7

• natural theology book - 1802
  He says if he were to come across a rock, he could say origin is due to natural causes
• if he comes across a watch (old-fashioned pocket watch)- no natural explanation
• watch is made up of cogs and springs - so design can’t come about by chance - had to have a designer - watchmaker, who designed it for telling the time
• world is more complicated than watch, so must be a creator - god

Question 8

How does Paley come to this understanding ?

Answer 8

• his argument uses understanding of his day about machines to conclude, by analogy..
  World must be a machine with a designer + creator
• uses regularity, order, intricacy, purpose and design to make his point.

Question 9

To what extent is it valid to compare whole watch to the world ?

Answer 9

• he was aware of this criticism when he points out watch doesn’t need to be fully understood
• or working to say there is watchmaker
• he points out world is more complicated than a watch.

Question 10

AQUINAS 5th way = what was his focus?

Answer 10

• focuses on how we achieve our purpose - must be due to god.
• believed all things have a purpose - can’t achieve that purpose without something to make it happen - a guide = god

Question 11

What were the core parts of his argument ?

Answer 11

• entitles his argument ‘from the governance of the world’
• says things that lack knowledge (natural bodies) act for a purpose - this is his observation that he reasons
• acting for an end leads to best result
• needs to happen not by luck, but by design - intention
• something that lacks knowledge needs a guider - like an arrow needs an archer

Question 12

What are his arguments from analogy ?

Answer 12

• the arrow needs an archer to guide it to it’s target
• says just as archer guides arrow, God guides natural bodies to their purpose

Question 13

Why do some argue an argument from an analogy is weak?

Answer 13

• at best they only say something shares a characteristic
• useful way to illustrate complex argument , but not sufficient on their own
• is it valid to compare archer and arrow to relationship between humans and god ?

Question 14

What is the first criticism Hume made on teleological argument ?

Answer 14

• Hume challenged analogies
• he said - not true world is like a watch
  QUOTE = ‘ world plainly resembles more an animal or vegetable than it does a watch’ David Hume
• may be true watch looks like it’s designed - hard to say world has these characteristics - he rejects idea that analogy is suitable
• in fact - world could be said to be like a vegetable (natural complex object) rather than a machine like a watch.

Question 15

What is the 2nd criticism Hume made on teleological argument ?

Answer 15

• he used Epicurean hypothesis from year 200 BCE
  Said that = given an infinite amount of time - all particles in universe would be able to combine in every possible combination.
• a stable environment would be made and that would be the world in which we live.
• Randomness explains the universe - not a designer
• to Hume, teleological argument doesn’t prove that the way the world is, is due to God

Question 16

What is the 3rd criticism Hume made on the teleological argument ?

Answer 16

-objects the idea that by looking at effects in world, we can make an inference of God.
- Uses example of scales, one is covered, we known which is heavier but not the weight of the smaller one
- so just as we see evidence of designer doesnt mean we know the nature of it
- Designer could have created the world through trial and error- like a watchmaker does
- could be number of designers - house has multiple builders, so does a ship - why only one god ?