Teleological Argument for the Existence of God Flashcards
What are the key terms for the teleological argument?
Telos, design, Designer, design qua purpose, design qua regularity
Which of Aquinas’s Five Ways is his teleological argument?
Four
What example does Aquinas use?
The arrow needs to be directed to its end/target by an archer
What does Aquinas observe in nature?
Inanimate things in nature act the in the same, or nearly the same way to fulfil their purpose
What does Aquinas mean by inanimate objects/beings in nature?
Unthinking objects / beings
How do inanimate things in nature achieve their end/purpose?
Directed towards their purpose by an intelligence
What is Aquinas’ conclusion?
The intelligence directing nature’s inanimate objects towards their purpose, is God
What is William Paley’s most famous analogy?
The Watch Analogy
Who are the main two scholars who devised Teleological Arguments?
Thomas Aquinas and William Paley
How do inanimate things in nature achieve their end/purpose?
They are directed towards their purpose by an intelligence
What is the main point of Paley’s analogy?
The watch has the PURPOSE of telling the time; it must have been designed by a watchmaker for this purpose.
How does Paley relate his analogy to things within the universe?
There are things in the universe that also have a purpose; purpose indicates design; therefore there must be a Designer.
What are Paley’s three other examples of design qua purpose?
The eye (purpose to see), bird’s wing (purpose to fly), lacteal system in mammals (purpose - feeding number of young reproduced)
What are Paley’s two examples of design qua regularity?
Rotation of the planets and gravity
What is Paley’s conclusion?
The Designer of purpose and regularity in the universe is God.
What does design qua purpose mean?
Design “as relating to” purpose
What does design qua regularity mean?
Design “as relating to” the regular cycles and natural laws and order of the world
Name three scholars who give modern Teleological Arguments.
F. R. Tennant, A. Brown and R. Swinburne
What is the Aesthetic Principle?
Humans appreciate music, art and beauty which have no survival value so this could imply a benevolent Designer.
What is the Anthropic Principle?
This world is finely balanced to allow life to exist, its favourable conditions suggest a Designer.
Who argued that Design in the universe was more probable than chance?
Swinburne
Who argued the position and thickness of the Ozone Layer indicates a Designer?
A. Brown
Define Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection
The process in nature where the organisms best adapted to their environment survive and pass on their genetic characteristics while those less adapted tend to be eliminated.
In what three ways can Darwinism challenge the TA?
random/chance process rather than purposeful design; no need for a Designer; humans are not special
Name three scholars that challenge the TA?
D. Hume, C. Darwin, J.S. Mill
What example does Darwin give for Natural Selection?
Finches having evolved different shaped beaks according to food sources available on different Galapagos islands.
What other example can be used to support Natural Selection?
Moths during the Industrial Revolution
What key words should be included in a summary of Darwinism?
adaptation to environment, natural selection, survival of the fittest, reproduce, advantageous characteristics
What examples does Mill use in his argument?
Natural evil like pestilence (disease) and hurricanes
What phrase from a Tennyson poem does Mill use?
Nature is red in tooth and claw
What is Mill’s quote about the cruelty of nature?
“Nearly all the things which men are hanged or imprisoned for doing to one another are nature’s everyday performances.”
Which two attributes of God is Mill weighing up?
Omnipotence and Omni-benevolence
What is Mill’s conclusion?
Because of cruelty in nature, God must be a malevolent designer.
Name four ways Hume criticises the TA.
Alternative explanation for design; analogy; religious worth; assumptions
In what three ways does Hume criticise the use of analogies?
universe is not mechanistic but organic; a machine is made by many hands (many gods?); human imagery leads to an anthropomorphic god
What analogies does Hume use that are used to criticise Paley’s watch?
house and ship - built by many people
According to Hume, what kind of world do we live in?
“the first rude attempt of an infant deity, then abandoned”
According to Hume, what kind of designer could have designed our world?
An immoral designer
What is Hume’s alternative explanation for apparent design in the world?
The Epicurean Hypothesis
What is the Epicurean Hypothesis?
With infinite time and an infinite number of possible combinations, order will eventually be established.
What does Hoyle (apparently say) about the universe occurring by chance?
It is about as likely as a hurricane raging through a junk yard and producing a Boeing 747.
What example does Morowitz use to explain the probability of the universe occurring by chance?
A protein molecule
What is Morowitz’s conclusion?
The universe would have to be trillions of times older and larger for a protein molecule to have occurred by random chance.
Which argument could you use Morowitz against?
Natural Selection - occurring by chance
What is Richard Dawkins’ book called, which criticises Paley’s TA?
The Blind Watchmaker
Why does Dawkins think the process of evolution is “blind”?
It has no purpose or foresight - random but cumulative mutations produce gradual changes over long periods of time.
Which scholars/theories would you use?
“Arguments from design must fail because they do not prove the existence of a God who is all-powerful.” Discuss.
Hume, Aquinas, Paley, Darwinism
Which scholars/theories would you use?
Explain Aquinas’ teleological argument and Darwinist objections to it.
Aquinas, Darwin and Dawkins (Darwinism)
Which scholars/theories would you use?
“Evolution leaves no room for a designer of our universe.” Discuss.
Darwin, Dawkins, Tennant (Anthropic Principle), Paley (responses to potential criticisms), Morowitz, Hoyle
Which scholars/theories would you use?
“Paley’s arguments are weaker than the criticisms of them”. Discuss.
Paley (and repsonses to potential criticisms), Hume, Mill, Darwinsim, Morowitz, Swinburne
Which scholars/theories would you use?
“Human beings see “design” in the universe where none exists.” Discuss.
Hume, Dawkins, Paley, Aquinas, Swinburne, Tennant
Which scholars/theories would you use?
“God is the most likely explanation for design in the universe.” Discuss.
Aquinas, Paley, Swinburne, Hume, Darwinism
Which scholars/theories would you use?
Evaluate the claim that the universe has too many flaws for it to be designed.
Mill, Darwinism, Paley
Which scholars/theories would you use?
“The universe has no purpose.” Discuss.
Dawkins, Darwinism, Paley, Aquinas
What key ideas and examples would you use?
Explain how Paley uses observations of a purposeful and ordered universe to prove the existence of God.
design qua purpose; design qua regularity; Watch Analogy; examples of the eye, bird’s wing and lacteal system in mammals; examples of rotation of the planets and gravity
What scholars would you use?
Explain how teleological arguments attempt to prove the existence of God.
Aquinas, Paley
