Teleological argument Flashcards
What are the key issues for the Teleological argument?
Can design be explained by chance? I.e. evolution, Hume’s Epicurean hypothesis?
Does the design of the world point to the classical theistic God?
Is there an alternative conclusion?
Can we make judgements based on our limited experience?
What is an inductive argument?
When the premises of an argument lead to a probable conclusion. There could be an alternative conclusion e.g. the design argument looked at design in the world and concluded there must be a designer, God, but it could have been evolution
What are deductive arguments?
They are arguments where the premises lead to a definite conclusion, provided you accept the premises
What are a posteriori arguments?
They are arguments which are based on experience of the world around us e.g. the design argument is based upon the experience of design in the world.
What are a priori arguments?
These are arguments which are based on reason and logic alone, not experience
What are synthetic statements?
These are statements which can be proven true or false by observation e.g. all cats have fur.
What are analytic statements?
These are statements which are proven true by logic and reason alone e.g. 1 + 1 = 2
What was Aquinas’ fifth way?
Argued design qua regularity and purpose. Inanimate bodies work in a regular way towards a purpose. They have no rational powers and so must be directed towards this purpose by an external power - God.
What example does Aquinas give to support his fifth way?
He gives the example of an arrow and an archer. The arrow cannot guide itself. It needs the archer to guide it. The archer is God and the arrow stands for inanimate objects.
How does Laplace criticise Aquinas’ fifth way?
The universe is like a machine. All the parts fit together in order to cause movement. He concluded that God was no longer needed. Eventually all natural laws of the universe will be known and science will explain everything. God will not be needed for explanation.
What did Paley say in his watch analogy?
Claimed that if you came across a watch on a heath and had never seen it before you would notice that it is very intricate and all the parts work together in order to form a purpose. Even if the watch did not work perfectly, you would have to conclude that the watch had not come about by chance but had a designer.
How does the watch analogy relate to the design argument?
Paley said the same was true of the world. All the parts work so well together to form a purpose that, like the watch, the world could not have come together by chance but must have a designer - God.
What did Paley say about the eye?
Claimed that the eye was designed for the purpose of seeing and its complex design suggests an intelligent designer.
What other examples did Paley use to support design?
The intricate mechanisms of the human body suggest an intelligent designer. Paley also referred to the lacteal system - the number of teats in each species is found to bear the proportion to the number of the young. All of this evidence points to a designing creator - God.
How did Paley support Design qua regularity?
Used evidence from astronomy and Newton’s Law’s of motion and gravity to prove design in the universe. The rotation of the planets in the solar system and how these obey universal laws. This could not have come about by chance. An external agent must have imposed order on the universe and this agent is God.
