Teleological argument
- Created by: emeliah
- Created on: 17-02-17 19:43
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- Teleological Argument
- For
- Aquinas fifth way
- Innate objects are perfectly ordered but don't have the intellect to do so themselves so something else must have designed them
- Arrow analogy
- If you see an arrow flying through the air, you will conclude that it has been shot by someone
- The arrow lacks awareness and so can only perform a purpose is if something with awareness (the archer) directs it
- If you see an arrow flying through the air, you will conclude that it has been shot by someone
- Strengths
- Uses real world examples
- Simple & easy to comprehend
- Answers the main teleological questions
- Applicable to everyone
- Weaknesses
- Arrow analogy relies on the universe being goal orientated
- All dependant on our experience of the universe
- William Paley
- The watch analogy
- only a watchmaker can understand the principles behind how its made
- the watch is not always perfect- the same as the world is not perfect
- the watchmaker existed at some time or place
- the watch is not always perfect- the same as the world is not perfect
- only a watchmaker can understand the principles behind how its made
- impossible to believe that something so complex is due to chance
- not necessary to understand how it was made but only how it was deigned
- Strengths
- Analogy makes it clear and easy to understand
- Weaknesses
- Doesn't address why we need to understand how it was made
- Can't adress modern counter arguments such as evolution
- The watch analogy
- Richard Swinburne
- The amount of factors that are perfect imply there must be a designer
- In nature and evolution so much could have gone wrong but hasn't
- The universe seems like such an ideal place to live that it must have been designed
- We find the world beautiful as it was made for us
- Weaknesses
- Relies on our belief that the universe is perfect
- Assumes evolution can't take place without a God
- FR Tennant
- Aquinas fifth way
- Against
- Richard Dawkin
- Argues against belief as it encourages people not to think and attribute unexplained things to God- people are satisfied with not knowing
- There is no design- only natural selection and evolution
- David Hume
- 1-Limited experince is not sufficient to come to conclusions about the creation of the world
- 2-If the universe was designed, theres nothing to say it was god. Could have been the work of multiple Gods or a first attempt
- 3-World isn't perfect but people believe God is perfect so there is no link to the designer and god
- 4-God is supposed to be beyond human understanding so it makes no sense to use human terms such as the watch analogy- this analogy suggests multiple gods rather than a supreme one
- 5-Bad analogy to liken the world to a machine as it is natural - makes more sense to say it grew by itself rather than being constructed
- Richard Dawkin
- Doesn't explain the designer of God or why God doesn't have a designer
- For
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