The teleological (Design) argument

Question 1

What are the anthropic constants?

Answer 1

1. The universe expands at a very precise rate from the BIG BANG
2. Atomic forces are fixed very precisely e.g. the two lightest gases
3. GRAVITY fixed very precisely to RAW materials `

Question 2

How do you explain the anthropic constants?

Answer 2

Peter Atkins- there’s other universes, different compositions
Alan Guth- law of physics can be explained by natural law
Nancy Murphy- deliberately planned with life in mind. Strong anthropic argument
Bertrand Russell- universe is the ultimate brute fact ‘just is’

Question 3

What is the Design argument?

Answer 3

Premise 1: The universe has order, purpose & regularity
Premise 2: The complexity of the universe shows evidence of design
Premise 3: Such design implies a designer

Conclusion: The designer of the universe is God

Question 4

What type of proof does the teleological argument rely on?

Answer 4

A posterior- inductive proof

Question 5

Difference between a priori and a posteriori

Answer 5

Prior is prior to experience ( logical/rational). Whilst a posteriori is dependent on experience (inductive proof)

Question 6

What does Design Qua purpose mean (William Paley)?

Answer 6

• The fact that the universe seems to be designed and fits together for a purpose
• Example: instincts of animals that aid for survival

Question 7

Paley’s Watch Analogy

Answer 7

If you were to find an old fashioned watch on a heath you would note the complicated mechanism, cogs and wheels etc such complicated design suggests an intelligent designer who clearly has a purpose in mind for the object

Question 8

What does the watch display?

Answer 8

Functional complexity

Question 9

What is the watch compared to?

Answer 9

A stone which it’s purpose is not so apparent and is due to chance or natural forces

Question 10

Paley’s examples of things he thought were designed for a purpose:

Answer 10

• The human eye
• Birds wings for flight
  -Lacteal system
  The complex design of the eye is not due to chance but is evidence of an intelligent designer God

Question 11

Key problems with the Watch Analogy

Answer 11

1. Unsound analogy- comparing the universe to something natural e.g. carrot (Hume)
2. Human knowledge is limited- never observed the universe being made so don’t know the designer
3. Is evil and suffering part of the work of a designer?
4. The design could only be apparent- mind imposed not God
5. Naturalistic (scientific) explanation for design

Question 12

What does Design qua regularity mean (William Paley)?

Answer 12

• Not the result of chance but of an intelligent agent
• E.g. rotation of the planets and natural laws
• Design in relation to the order and regularity in the universe

Question 13

Why does Paley think that the universe could not have come about by chance or probability?

Answer 13

• Paley used evidence from astronomy and Newton’s laws of motion and gravity to prove that there is design in the universe
• Not the result of chance, but an intelligent agent (God)

Question 14

What examples of design qua regularity did Paley give?

Answer 14

Rotation of the planets in the solar system obeying law of nature like Newton’s laws of motions and gravity

Question 15

What is Aquinas’ teleological argument?

Answer 15

• Fifth of his Five Ways to prove God’s existence ‘ from the governance of things’
• The way natural bodies act in a regular fashion to achieve their end (telos) is evidence of an intelligent agent or designer God
• He is arguing from Design qua Regularity

Question 16

What is Aquinas Archer analogy?

Answer 16

• Aquinas argues that just an arrow is directed by to an end goal (telos) by an archer, so too, an intelligent being exists (God) who directs all natural things to their end goal (telos)
• Aquinas argues that the universe displays order, purpose and regularity, which is not the result of chance but an intelligent agent (God)
• Aquinas sees that nature points to the idea of order in that things seem to have innate senses of purpose
• E.g. an archer shooting an arrow at a target- thus everything in nature id directed to its goal by God
• Inanimate objects e.g. planets could have not been ordered by themselves, being not ‘ endowed with knowledge and intelligence and so have been ordered by a Being with intelligence who could namely God

Question 17

Problems with Aquinas’ argument

Answer 17

• How do you know what your telos is?
• Haven’t observed nature- unsound analogy
• Too absurd
• Does evil and suffering have a purpose?
• Design could be the result of chance
• Assuming that there is a designer is it the God of Classical Theism?

Question 18

What is F. R. Tennant argument?

Answer 18

• F.R Tennant claims in his book Philosophy Theology (1930) that the cosmos is constructed for the development of intelligent life. They are not due to coincidence but are the result of an intelligent agent. The anthropic argument has often been seen as the ‘design’ argument
• Tennant argues that the evidence for design can be found in nature namely:
  1. That the world can be analysed in a rational manner
  2. That the inorganic world provide the basic necessities to help sustain life
  3. Evolutionary progress has allowed intelligent human life to develop- seen by Tennant as a culmination of God’s plan or at least part of his plan

Question 19

What is Swinburne’s support for the design argument?

Answer 19

Swinburne argues that given the sheer complexity of the universe it is more probable the universe has been designed by God rather that it being just the result of chance

Question 20

What is F.R. Tennant’s Aesthetic argument for God existence?

Answer 20

• Aesthetic: appreciation of beauty
• Tennant argued that beauty is superflouous and is not needed for human survival nor is the result of natural selection
• Science cannot explain away beauty and in Tennant’s view this is evidence of a designer

Question 21

How might Swinburne’s and Tennant argument be challenged?

Answer 21

• Which God designed the universe?
• Any apparent order can be explained by Darwin’s evolutionary theory
• Some argue that energy is chaotic
• Order, purpose & regularity are mind imposed
• Science will one day explain the anthropic constants

Question 22

Any problems with Tennant’s argument from beauty

Answer 22

• Beauty can help with survival because of health
• Beauty is subjective @Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’
• Beauty is a due to evolution not by design

Question 23

What is evolution?

Answer 23

One species is descended from another species that is different from itself. For example, humans descended from a species similar to the apes

Question 24

What is natural selection?

Answer 24

Natural selection is the mechanism of evolutionary change. In this way, species evolve and change. A gradual transformation in the appearance and behaviour of any species

Question 25

How Darwin's theory of evolution pose a serious challenge to the design argument?

Answer 25

- Beliefs concerning the origin of the universe: 1. Each species created separately 2. One species could not develop out of another 3. World less than 6000 years old - Disputes uniqueness of human life and contradicts literal beliefs in Genesis - God's redundant as explanation for species change. No PURPOSE IN SURVIVAL - Some creationists refer to the literal approach

Question 26

Why do you think that F.R. Tennant was able to accept Darwin's theory of evolution?

Answer 26

Claims evolution is part of God's plan for the development of intelligent life

Question 27

What are the 3 central aspects of Darwin's theory?

Answer 27

1. Random genetic change 2. Natural selections 3. Self- replication

Question 28

What is Richard Dawkins support of the Darwinism?

Answer 28

- Natural selection is 'blind', no long term goal - We are survival machines; robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish moelcules known as genes - Climbing Mount Improbable

Question 29

Explain Climbing Mount Improbable?

Answer 29

- Charles Darwin theory of evolution helps us climb Mount Improbable - Blind chance or design is out of the question and would be equal to leaping a sheer cliff face in a single leap - Ultimate complexity i.e. man today /other species have taken 2.56 billion years to evolve

Question 30

Main reasons why Richard Dawkins is against the Design Argument

Answer 30

- He claims that natural selection is a 'blind, unconscious automatic process' completely without aim or purpose - In 'The Selfish Gene' Dawkins claims that humans only act so that their genes may survive - Human beings have evolved to meet the conditions available. There is no purpose and no meaning to our existence - "Evolution has no long term goal"

Question 31

What is Peter Williams support for the design argument?

Answer 31

- Question remains unanswered, what caused complex systems to form? - The Principle of natural selection does not rule out belief in God - Science falls silent when asked for an explanation - William argues that a supernatural origin is required NOT for the DNA itself but for the process which bring the DNA about

Question 32

What are Hume's three characters?

Answer 32

1. Cleanthes- who uses natural theology 2. Demea- who starts with a faith position 3. Philo- who puts forward Hume's own sceptical position

Question 33

Hume criticisms fall into three categories

Answer 33

1. There is no design in the universe 2. The comparison of the universe with something man-made is an unsound analogy 3. If the design analogy is true, God's qualities are challenged and limited

Question 34

What are Hume objections to the design argument?

Answer 34

1. Unsound Analogy 2. Other explanations for apparent order 3. Non-moral God 4. Analogy makes God more human than divine 5. Similar effects do not mean similar causes 6. Other possible analogies

Question 35

An unsound analogy (Hume)

Answer 35

- Our world is not like a machine at all since it composed of vegetables and animals - More organic world - World did not closely resemble something man made - Better to compare watch to carrot

Question 36

Other explanations for apparent order (Hume)

Answer 36

- Universe may be appear to have order but does not mean there is an intelligent designer - Order could be a pure chance

Question 37

Analogy makes God more human than divine (Hume)

Answer 37

- More you compare the watch analogy the more human you make God. For instance: 1. Infinity could not be attributed to the attributes of God because the effect not infinite so we don't ascribe infinity God

Question 38

Non-moral God (Hume)

Answer 38

- The unpleasant features of nature questions the planning and design of a just and wholly God - God who had no moral character

Question 39

Similar effects do not mean similar causes (Hume)

Answer 39

- Lack of similarities between a machine and world - To know that an orderly universe must arise from intelligent and thought, we would have experienced the origin of the universe

Question 40

Other possible analogies (Hume) `

Answer 40

- World resembles more an animal or a vegetable than a watch - If the world compared to carrot then the world could be caused by something similar to generation

Question 41

What is Kant main criticisms of the design argument?

Answer 41

- Teleological argument argument is inductive and based on experience of design and order within the universe - Experience can never provide us with the idea of an absolutely perfect and necessary being - We cannot claim 'apodeictic certainty ( degree of certainty) - Doesn't demonstrate God's infinity - Design argument could never demonstrate the existence of God because based on info filled by humans and can be wrong

Question 42

Main problems JS Mill has with the design argument

Answer 42

His hypothesis was either to deny the Designer's goodness OR to deny the designer's omnipotence. God must be limited. But Mill challenged the attributes of the designer. An imperfect universe implies limitation of the designer and Mill arrives at a limited God.