Teleological Argument for the Existence of God

Question 1

What are the key terms for the teleological argument?

Answer 1

Telos, design, Designer, design qua purpose, design qua regularity

Question 2

Which of Aquinas’s Five Ways is his teleological argument?

Answer 2

Four

Question 3

What example does Aquinas use?

Answer 3

The arrow needs to be directed to its end/target by an archer

Question 4

What does Aquinas observe in nature?

Answer 4

Inanimate things in nature act the in the same, or nearly the same way to fulfil their purpose

Question 5

What does Aquinas mean by inanimate objects/beings in nature?

Answer 5

Unthinking objects / beings

Question 6

How do inanimate things in nature achieve their end/purpose?

Answer 6

Directed towards their purpose by an intelligence

Question 7

What is Aquinas’ conclusion?

Answer 7

The intelligence directing nature’s inanimate objects towards their purpose, is God

Question 8

What is William Paley’s most famous analogy?

Answer 8

The Watch Analogy

Question 9

Who are the main two scholars who devised Teleological Arguments?

Answer 9

Thomas Aquinas and William Paley

Question 10

How do inanimate things in nature achieve their end/purpose?

Answer 10

They are directed towards their purpose by an intelligence

Question 11

What is the main point of Paley’s analogy?

Answer 11

The watch has the PURPOSE of telling the time; it must have been designed by a watchmaker for this purpose.

Question 12

How does Paley relate his analogy to things within the universe?

Answer 12

There are things in the universe that also have a purpose; purpose indicates design; therefore there must be a Designer.

Question 13

What are Paley’s three other examples of design qua purpose?

Answer 13

The eye (purpose to see), bird’s wing (purpose to fly), lacteal system in mammals (purpose - feeding number of young reproduced)

Question 14

What are Paley’s two examples of design qua regularity?

Answer 14

Rotation of the planets and gravity

Question 15

What is Paley’s conclusion?

Answer 15

The Designer of purpose and regularity in the universe is God.

Question 16

What does design qua purpose mean?

Answer 16

Design “as relating to” purpose

Question 17

What does design qua regularity mean?

Answer 17

Design “as relating to” the regular cycles and natural laws and order of the world

Question 18

Name three scholars who give modern Teleological Arguments.

Answer 18

F. R. Tennant, A. Brown and R. Swinburne

Question 19

What is the Aesthetic Principle?

Answer 19

Humans appreciate music, art and beauty which have no survival value so this could imply a benevolent Designer.

Question 20

What is the Anthropic Principle?

Answer 20

This world is finely balanced to allow life to exist, its favourable conditions suggest a Designer.

Question 21

Who argued that Design in the universe was more probable than chance?

Answer 21

Swinburne

Question 22

Who argued the position and thickness of the Ozone Layer indicates a Designer?

Answer 22

A. Brown

Question 23

Define Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

In what three ways can Darwinism challenge the TA?

Answer 24

random/chance process rather than purposeful design; no need for a Designer; humans are not special

Question 25

Name three scholars that challenge the TA?

Answer 25

D. Hume, C. Darwin, J.S. Mill

Question 26

What example does Darwin give for Natural Selection?

Answer 26

Finches having evolved different shaped beaks according to food sources available on different Galapagos islands.

Question 27

What other example can be used to support Natural Selection?

Answer 27

Moths during the Industrial Revolution

Question 28

What key words should be included in a summary of Darwinism?

Answer 28

adaptation to environment, natural selection, survival of the fittest, reproduce, advantageous characteristics

Question 29

What examples does Mill use in his argument?

Answer 29

Natural evil like pestilence (disease) and hurricanes

Question 30

What phrase from a Tennyson poem does Mill use?

Answer 30

Nature is red in tooth and claw

Question 31

What is Mill's quote about the cruelty of nature?

Answer 31

“Nearly all the things which men are hanged or imprisoned for doing to one another are nature’s everyday performances.”

Question 32

Which two attributes of God is Mill weighing up?

Answer 32

Omnipotence and Omni-benevolence

Question 33

What is Mill's conclusion?

Answer 33

Because of cruelty in nature, God must be a malevolent designer.

Question 34

Name four ways Hume criticises the TA.

Answer 34

Alternative explanation for design; analogy; religious worth; assumptions

Question 35

In what three ways does Hume criticise the use of analogies?

Answer 35

universe is not mechanistic but organic; a machine is made by many hands (many gods?); human imagery leads to an anthropomorphic god

Question 36

What analogies does Hume use that are used to criticise Paley's watch?

Answer 36

house and ship - built by many people

Question 37

According to Hume, what kind of world do we live in?

Answer 37

"the first rude attempt of an infant deity, then abandoned"

Question 38

According to Hume, what kind of designer could have designed our world?

Answer 38

An immoral designer

Question 39

What is Hume's alternative explanation for apparent design in the world?

Answer 39

The Epicurean Hypothesis

Question 40

What is the Epicurean Hypothesis?

Answer 40

With infinite time and an infinite number of possible combinations, order will eventually be established.

Question 41

What does Hoyle (apparently say) about the universe occurring by chance?

Answer 41

It is about as likely as a hurricane raging through a junk yard and producing a Boeing 747.

Question 42

What example does Morowitz use to explain the probability of the universe occurring by chance?

Answer 42

A protein molecule

Question 43

What is Morowitz's conclusion?

Answer 43

The universe would have to be trillions of times older and larger for a protein molecule to have occurred by random chance.

Question 44

Which argument could you use Morowitz against?

Answer 44

Natural Selection - occurring by chance

Question 45

What is Richard Dawkins' book called, which criticises Paley's TA?

Answer 45

The Blind Watchmaker

Question 46

Why does Dawkins think the process of evolution is "blind"?

Answer 46

It has no purpose or foresight - random but cumulative mutations produce gradual changes over long periods of time.

Question 47

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.

Answer 47

Hume, Aquinas, Paley, Darwinism

Question 48

Which scholars/theories would you use? | Explain Aquinas’ teleological argument and Darwinist objections to it.

Answer 48

Aquinas, Darwin and Dawkins (Darwinism)

Question 49

Which scholars/theories would you use? | “Evolution leaves no room for a designer of our universe.” Discuss.

Answer 49

Darwin, Dawkins, Tennant (Anthropic Principle), Paley (responses to potential criticisms), Morowitz, Hoyle

Question 50

Which scholars/theories would you use? | “Paley’s arguments are weaker than the criticisms of them”. Discuss.

Answer 50

Paley (and repsonses to potential criticisms), Hume, Mill, Darwinsim, Morowitz, Swinburne

Question 51

Which scholars/theories would you use? | “Human beings see “design” in the universe where none exists.” Discuss.

Answer 51

Hume, Dawkins, Paley, Aquinas, Swinburne, Tennant

Question 52

Which scholars/theories would you use? | “God is the most likely explanation for design in the universe.” Discuss.

Answer 52

Aquinas, Paley, Swinburne, Hume, Darwinism

Question 53

Which scholars/theories would you use? | Evaluate the claim that the universe has too many flaws for it to be designed.

Answer 53

Mill, Darwinism, Paley

Question 54

Which scholars/theories would you use? | “The universe has no purpose.” Discuss.

Answer 54

Dawkins, Darwinism, Paley, Aquinas

Question 55

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.

Answer 55

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

Question 56

What scholars would you use? | Explain how teleological arguments attempt to prove the existence of God.

Answer 56

Aquinas, Paley