teleological arguments

Question 1

define teleological arguments

Answer 1

-arguments from design
-aim to show certain features of the world are so complex that their existence can only be explained with a designer (god)

Question 2

what is Paley’s design argument

Answer 2

watch analogy

Question 3

what example does Paley use

Answer 3

a pebble on the beach

Question 4

define the pebble on a beach example

Answer 4

if you found a pebble on a beach you might assume it has been there forever but if you found a watch on the beach you wouldn’t assume the same thing

Question 5

what’s the difference between the pebble and the watch

Answer 5

-a watch is composed of many parts organised for purpose
-having many parts organised for a purpose is the hallmark of design

Question 6

what does Paley say is similar to a watch

Answer 6

-the human eye
-it is composed of many parts and are organised for a purpose

Question 7

what does the watch and the human eye show

Answer 7

nature and various aspects of nature have the hallmarks of design

Question 8

what does the watch analogy conclude

Answer 8

-for something to be designed it must have a designer
-given how grand and wondrous nature is the designer is god

Question 9

who responds to Paley’s watch analogy

Answer 9

Darwin

Question 10

how does Darwin respond to Paley

Answer 10

evolution by natural selection

Question 11

define Darwin’s evolution

Answer 11

parts organised for a purpose can emerge without a designer e.g. a giraffe

Question 12

define the giraffe example

Answer 12

-competition for food it tough
-an animal that cannot acquire enough food will die before reproducing
-an animal with a neck 1cm longer can access 1cm more food
-this makes it more likely to survive
-offspring more likely to get long neck
-therefore long neck animals become more common
-repeat process over hundreds of millions of years until today

Question 13

what does the giraffe example conclude

Answer 13

given enough time and genetic mutations, plants and animals with adapt to environment creating the appearance of design

Question 14

how does the giraffe example apply to the Paley

Answer 14

shows that matter can arrange itself in ways that fit means to an ends or be organised for a purpose without a designer

Question 15

who responds to Darwin

Answer 15

Swinburne

Question 16

what does Swinburne argue

Answer 16

temporal order

Question 17

define temporal order

Answer 17

the order of the laws of nature

Question 18

define Swinburne’s temporal order argument

Answer 18

-we cant explain the laws of nature in the same way we do for gods existence

Question 19

what example does Swinburne use

Answer 19

gravity

Question 20

define the gravity example

Answer 20

-the law of gravity allows galaxies to form and planets to form within these galaxies and life to form on these planets
-if gravity had the opposite effect, it repelled matter, life would not be able to form
-how do we explain this

Question 21

what does the gravity example conclude

Answer 21

we cant give scientific explanations of why laws of nature are as they are, it can predict by assuming but not explain why the laws of nature are the way they are

Question 22

define personal explanations of things

Answer 22

to say ‘this sentence exists because i chose to write it’ invokes personal intentions of people rather then scientific laws

Question 23

what does Swinburne argue about personal explanations

Answer 23

-we can explain the laws of nature in a similar way to writing sentences
-someone designed them (god)
-therefore god exists

Question 24

what responds to Swinburne’s temporal order argument

Answer 24

multiple universes

Question 25

who argues multiple universes

Answer 25

Hume

Question 26

define the multiple universe response

Answer 26

if there are multiple universes, there are a trillion universes with varying physical laws so it’s inevitable that one exists with temporal order

Question 27

what’s another analogy for multiple universes

Answer 27

dice

Question 28

define the dice analogy

Answer 28

-if you roll a million sided dice enough times, you will eventually roll a 1 but there will be many instances where you roll other numbers

Question 29

how does the dice analogy apply to multiple universes

Answer 29

if you create enough universes with randomly different scientific laws, some universes will support life and some wont

Question 30

what does the dice analogy conclude

Answer 30

there could be just as much temporal order as there is spatial order

Question 31

what argues against Hume and Kant

Answer 31

is the designer god

Question 32

what does the designer being god? argue

Answer 32

teleological may prove there is a designer but is the designer god

Question 33

define the is the designer god argument

Answer 33

-gods power if infinite, yet the universe is not infinite
-designers are not always creators and so the designer and creator of the universe can be different people
-the universe may be the result of many small improvements by multiple people
-designers can die and their creations can live on, how do we know the designer is eternal as god is supposed to be

Question 34

does the order of the universe prove that god exists (25 mark plan)

Answer 34

p1-intro
-teleological arguments do not prove gods existence
-define key terms
p2-argumet 1
-watch analogy
p3-response 1
-evolution
p4-response 2
-temporal order
p5-response 3
-multiple universes
p6-argument 2
-the designer might not be god
p7-conclusion
-both temporal arguments from spatial and temporal order fail even if they succeed in showing nature is designed, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the designer is god