Teleological Argument AO2 and Essay Plans

Question 1

There is no design in the universe

Answer 1

Hume- Problem of using analogy of a watch. Too weak, cannot deduce a designer of the universe similar to a designer of a watch e.g a builder and an architect. Also an analogy of a designer implies an anthropocentric concept of God since there are imperfections shows that the universe is flawed

• Can be much as chance rather than purpose- developed thus it could be more over time that things develop rather than that of a designer- natural selections- random adaptions.
• there is nothing to suggest that one designer could be an army of designers- analogy of a shipbuilder.
• JSM Evil in the universe=rejection of a designer- suffering outweighs the good.
• Darwin and Dawkins- Natural selection/survival of the fittest.
• Epicurican hypothesis- universe is inevitable that eventually an ordered state would develop and order is the result of random particles not a designer
• Stephen fry- a mean and capricious God.

Question 2

There is design in the universe

Answer 2

-Aquinas’ fifth way: universe is directed to a telos/purpose- qua regularity.
-Paley: the analogy of a pocket watch/the complexity of a human eye
-Fr Tenant- the universe is finely tuned to allow life to thrive
Paul Davies- modern physicist who has taken interest into philosophical questions of the universe and follows the anthropocentric principle.
-Michael Behe- irreducible complexity- biological organisms are too complex to be explained by evolution. An intelligence is behind them is likely.

Question 3

Strengths of the argument

Answer 3

• Use of inductive reasoning: inductive arguments begin with something that we can observe. It is difficult to deny the presence of order and complexity in the universe.
• inductive reasoning begins with experience (scientific)
• The argument does not rely on fixed definitions that we must accept.
• The analogy of the watchmaker is something which is comprehensible to us. Uses something within our experience to try and explain something beyond it , the argument is simple and straightforward.
• It fits in with human reason
• The concept of God as a designer reinforces the idea that God is involved in the history of the universe and is therefore omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent
• It is based on a posteriori evidence which is strengthened as our understanding of the world increases.

Question 4

Weaknesses of the argument

Answer 4

-Hume- problem of using analogy, too weak, cannot deduce designer of the universe similar to a designer of a watch.
Also an analogy of a watch implies an anthropocentric concept of God since there are imperfections which shows the universe is flawed.
Can be much as chance rather than purpose
There is nothing in the argument of design to suggest one designer could be an army of designers- the building of a ship-could be designed over time.
-Mill=evil in the universe=rejection of a designer- suffering outweighs the good.
-Darwin and Dawkins= natural selection.
-Stephen Fry- the problem of cruelty in nature
-Big Bang- Stephen Hawking
-Epicurean Hypothesis - Universe is eternal/inevitable that eventually an ordered state would develop.
-The claim that the world is ordered is not accurate. This is because we do not have any other world with which to compare it- by comparison our world could be incredibly chaotic.
-Order is not evidence of a designer, as it is simply a necessary part of a self-sustaining universe, if there were no order then this universe could not exist.
-Nature is guilty of doing evils every day that go unpunished, if nature is the work of a designer then the designer is incompetent or evil-Mill.

Question 5

Hume’s criticisms successfully dismantle the teleological argument

Answer 5

• Hume shows that God might not be the best explanation for things that we observe.
• He presents other alternative explanations which are equally plausible, such as the world may have been designed by a group/committee of gods or an infant deity.–Epicurean Hypothesis - Universe is eternal/inevitable that eventually an ordered state would develop.
• Perhaps multiple Gods or an infant deity have created the universe- the teleological argument makes a logical fallacy.
• The world could have been created using trial and error-this links to imperfections in the world such as tsunamis and disease.
• The universe is unique, who are we to assign a designer or not a designer to it.

Question 6

Hume’s criticisms successfully dismantle the teleological argument

Answer 6

• there is nothing to support his alternative hypothesis whereas belief in God has the support of the Bible and thousands of years of Christian belief.
• Hume’s comparison of the earth being more like an animal or vegetable rather than a watch seems to be overly simplistic.
• Fr Tenant (Anthropic Principle)- The world is too complex to have come around by chance.
• the qualities of that the Judeo-Christian God has aligned with the supposed needs of creator God.
• there is plenty of other evidence to support the existence of God- e.g religious experiences, historical evidence, st paul etc.
• Scientific explanations do not rule out the possibility that God works through natural physical methods in creating and designing the world. (Keith Ward.)