teleological argument

Question 1

what inspired aquinas’ fifth way

Answer 1

Aristotle: everything in the universe has a purpose

Question 2

who talks about qua regularity and who talks about qua purpose

Answer 2

aquinas
Paley

Question 3

how does Paley compare the universe to a watch

Answer 3

the watch and the universe are both too complex to have happened by chance

Question 4

what does Paley argue about the order of the world

Answer 4

the extent of this regularity surely points to design and hence, a designer

Question 5

Hume opposing the teleological argument (5)

Answer 5

• why does there have to be a beginning
• brute fact
• imperfections in the world suggest a lesser god
• limited experience to apply knowledge to creation
• why one designer and not multiple

Question 6

Humes example of a vegetable

Answer 6

a vegetable such as a cabbage grows on its own accord and is complicated and has elements for design
- but we still do not think there is a cabbage maker

Question 7

Hume’s epicurean hypothesis

Answer 7

in the infinite amount of time the universe exists, things fall together by chance
- ‘blind unguided force’
- making an inductive leap of logic to see a designer who we know nothing about

Question 8

JSM on evil and the teleological argument

Answer 8

• world is not set up for the good of humans we have made it so it is
• nature is cruel and destructive
• so why would there be an all powerful creator ?

Question 9

evaluation for JSM on the world not being fit for humans

Answer 9

perhaps it is not designed for humans
a volcano has a separate purpose

Question 10

Tennants Anthropic principle

Answer 10

universe exists for the sake of humankind and is adapted to that purpose
- if conditions had been diff we would not exist
- must be a designer - cannot just be a coincidence

Question 11

Tennants A… Principle

Answer 11

anthropic

Question 12

Swinburne and simplicity

Answer 12

• most simple answer so must be best explanation
• Ockhams razor - least jumps so most likely to be correct

Question 13

who evaluates the aesthetic principle and what does he say

Answer 13

Dawkins : we have been socially conditioned to appreciate the ‘beauty’ of the world

Question 14

what is Aquinas’ fifth way

Answer 14

objects and natural things all move towards a certain goal and purpose

flowers move in alignment with the sun to get more sunlight

these things cannot direct themselves as they are non-intelligent or insufficiently intelligent

has to be directed by something with intelligence

an arrow needs an archer to hit the target

must be an intelligent designer - God

Question 15

Brief outline of Paley’s argument

Answer 15

he combination of complexity and purpose, which we observe in natural objects/beings, is best explained by a designer.

Question 16

how does Hume reject analogies used in teleological arguments - what is his example

Answer 16

similarity of two effects does not mean similarity of two causes

• smoke produced by fire and dry ice is beer similar but their cause is not

so the effect of the universe and the effect of a man made thing (watch) and the universe are similar (complex) doesn’t mean they have the same cause