Teleological Argument

Question 1

qua regularity

Answer 1

arguments based on regularity and patterns of order

Question 2

qua purpose

Answer 2

arguments based on purpose

Question 3

teleogical argument

Answer 3

we can see complex designs with a purpose , order , regualrity that suggest an intelligent designer .. God

Question 4

Backward argument

Answer 4

starts from the results and tries to work out the causes of the results

Question 5

inductive

Answer 5

conclusion is a statement about what is most probable rather than definite

Question 6

Aquinas 5th way

Answer 6

when observing the natural world you see that everything follows natural laws .. if things follow natural laws they tend to do well and have some sort of goal / purpose and lead to certain results .

Question 7

Archer example

Answer 7

the arrow goes nowhere without an archer to shoot it . eveything in the natural world needs to be directed by something intelligent

Question 8

aquinas weaknesses

Answer 8

does not actually provide example of things in thenatural worlds purpose

Question 9

Paley - watch analogy

Answer 9

you find a watch in the woods … you notice how well it works and its intricacies and conclude that the features of the watch suggest an intelligent designer .
the world shows evidence of a designer and is a result of an intelligent designer ( God)

Question 10

anologous logic Hume

Answer 10

paleys argument is only as strong as his analogy ..mechanistic we need to use thing which are similar
e.g we can comclude from a study of human circulatory system that animals works similary but it would be weak to suggest this is similar to how sap circulates in a plant .

Question 11

inductive logic

Answer 11

works on general evidence and not all possible evidence
“ all swans are white “

Question 12

the epicurean hypothesis

Answer 12

there is a very high probability that a random system, over a very long/infinite period of time, will have periods of order and stability. This universe could currently be in that period of stability and appear to us as if it were designed. e.g monkey and typewriters

Question 13

hume quote ,trainee God ?

Answer 13

” the world is faulty and imperfect … was only the first rude essay of some infant deity”

Question 14

Ockam’s razor

Answer 14

if you have two competing ideas to explain the same phenomenon, you should prefer the simpler one.

Question 15

Charles Darwin

Answer 15

Darwin proposed that species can change over time, that new species come from pre-existing species, and that all species share a common ancestor

Question 16

Natural selection

Answer 16

Natural selection explains how genetic traits of a species may change over time. This may lead to speciation, the formation of a distinct new species

Question 17

Galapagos island

Answer 17

Darwin observed that beak shape varies among finch species. He postulated that the beak of an ancestral species had adapted over time to equip the finches to acquire different food sources. nature can cause design .. not God

Question 18

Has the teleogical argument criticisms overcomed belief in God?

Answer 18

no , thinkers like J .H Newham welcomed evolution as it suggests a larger idea of divine providence and skill

Question 19

John stuart mill

Answer 19

argues that nature is guilty of serious crimes for which she goes unpunished. The various atrocities through which both humans and animals suffer would not go unpunished if they were the result of Human agency.Mill therefore concludes that the world cannot be ordered, and he rejects the idea that it is the result of intelligent design.
“if the maker of the world can do all he will , he wills misery “