Teleological Argument Flashcards
1
Q
Key theories
A
Design qua regularity
Design qua purpose
2
Q
Design qua regularity
A
There is order and purpose in the world which must have been created by a designer
3
Q
Key philosopher
A
Aquinas
4
Q
Aquinas’ argument name
A
5th way
5
Q
Aquinas’ 5th way
A
Design qua purpose
everything has a telos that follows a natural law
they lack the knowledge to do this by chance so are created and guided by an intelligent being - God
6
Q
Payley’s watchmaker
A
design qua purpose
Does not exist by chance, intelligent designer
7
Q
Hume’s Dialogues
A
Epicurean hypothesis
atoms in the right place at the right time
8
Q
Hume’s 4 premises
A
- Universe is orderly: it is far from it
- Order is the result of design: Our knowledge is based on experience, the same cannot be said for the universe as we have never seen a universe designed before
- Design presupposes intelligence: Many less powerful creators
- Complex intelligence: is the universe actually complex? We thought computers were complex in the past
9
Q
Modern DA Philosopher
A
Tennant or Swinburne
10
Q
Tennant’s DA
A
- Possible to imagine a chaotic universe
- The universe is evidently not chaotic
- Evolution simply works to advance species
- There are things in the world which are not necessary for life and so must not have come to be through natural selection
- Therefore it must be the product of a designing creator
11
Q
Swinburne’s DA
A
- The fact the universe is not chaotic cannot be by mere chance
- It is a matter of probability
- It is highly improbable that the universe should ‘just happen’
- Also the universe has laws by which it operates
- These laws do not account for the ordered way in which the universe operates
- The degree of order in the universe is a personal, conscious choice by God
