Teleological Arguement Flashcards
The Teleological Argument
God exists because everything has a telos
telos
end or purpose
Aquinas fifth of his Five Ways
inanimate things which “lack knowledge” still fulfil their purpose.
an example - heart
a heart continues to beat and pump blood around the body.
an example - archer
the example of the archer firing an arrow – the arrow needs to be directed to its target by the archer.
William Paley
has his own form of the argument in two parts: Design qua Purpose and Design qua Regularity.
Design qua Purpose
the universe was designed to fulfil a purpose
Design qua Regularity
the universe behaves according to some order
Design qua Purpose analogy
A man walks across a heath and finds a rock. He attributes the existence of the rock to nature. He walks further and stumbles across a watch. After examination he concludes that the watch has a purpose and could not have come about without a watch maker or designer.
Paley also anticipates and answers potential criticisms
Even if we had never seen a watch before, we would still infer a designer
Even if the watch did not work perfectly (just as there are faults in the world), there is still evidence of some design.
can developments in bio-chemistry can be used to support the teleological argument
yes - Harold Morowitz concluded that the universe would have to be trillions of times older and larger for a protein molecule to have occurred by random chance.
who made the Anthropic Principle
F.R. Tenant
what does the Anthropic Principle mean
this world is finely balanced to allow life to exist.
an example of the Anthropic Principle
if the earth was slightly closer or further away from the sun, life could not exist.
who made the Aesthetic Principle
F.R. Tenant
what is the Aesthetic Principle
humans appreciate music, art and beauty which have no survival value.
what did brown note that suggested design?
the thickness of the Ozone layer being just right for life to flourish on earth suggests Design.
who criticised the teleological argument?
Hume, J.S.Mill, Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins
Hume’s criticism - first attack
The universe might have been designed by many gods, just as a machine is made by many hands.
Hume’s criticism - second attack
The universe might have been designed by many gods
Hume’s criticism - third attack
that similar effects do not necessarily imply similar causes. Since humans have limited knowledge, it is impossible to make assumptions about how the universe came to be as it is.
Hume’s criticism - fourth attack
He says that it is equally likely that the universe came about by pure chance.
Hume’s criticism - fifth attack
Random events occur but order tends to impose itself eventually
what does J.S.Mill say
If the creation reflects the Creator, then what does such a cruel world, full of anarchy, death and destruction, say about God?
How does this challenge the Teleological argument?
If evolution is a random process, there is no overall purpose or planned Design.
It challenges the status and dignity of humankind. The world is no longer centred around humans. Humans have evolved in the same way as animals.
what does Richard Dawkins say
evolution is carried on through random mutations in our which produce the variations in living organisms. This process is “blind” - it has no overall purpose or plan. There is no need for a Designer or God.
